She and Him: Volume 1 : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

"She" is Zooey Deschanel, indie boys' movie-star crush of choice. "Him" is M. Ward, the rootsy guitarist. Together they pose as a great lost Seventies AM-gold couple. Their acoustic vibe conjures up a time-travel fantasy of key parties, hot tubs and Chablis-crazed groping behind the spider plants. If this is your kind of thing, you will love this record, because Deschanel and Ward definitely know their mellow. In every song, they sound like they wish they were cruising in their Le Car, hitting the beach at Martha's Vineyard with James and Carly to pound strawberry daiquiris and sing "Mockingbird." Whoops — don't want to be late for that Mo Udall rally!

Deschanel's vocals are so Carly Simon it hurts, especially on country-flavored tunes like "Got Me" and "Take It Back." Lazy souls will compare her to Dusty Springfield, but the more accurate touchstone is soft-rock goddess Rita Coolidge. Deschanel's voice also has sweet country curves that evoke Lynn Anderson, Jennifer Warnes and Linda Ronstadt. "Change Is Hard" is a loving homage to Ronstadt's "Different Drum" — Ward even plays the harpsichord solo on steel guitar. Deschanel's songs are simple, which is a smart move — what a drag if she were trying to sing serious torch songs — but She and Him don't fare so well with covers. Smokey Robinson is over their heads, judging from the flubbed chords and notes in "You Really Got a Hold on Me." And they do the Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better" as giggly camp. It's more fun to hear them do their own laid-back thing on "This Is Not a Test," with its EST lyrics and L.A. malaise. Deschanel doesn't go for the sassy comic edge she brings to her movies. In these songs, she's just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her. And if Ward could resist, he must have a heart of stone, or maybe just a switchblade-packing girlfriend.