Adding even more clout to the already impressive indie line-up of Merge Records, established singer-songwriter M. Ward teams up with actress and budding musician Zooey Deschanel to form the much buzzed-about duo of She & Him. Delivering both stripped down acoustic drawls and polished pop gems that call back to any number of Phil Spector-produced tracks of the ‘50s and ‘60s, the twosome (with production help from additional all-stars like Bright Eyes producer Mike Mogis and actor/musician Jason Schwartzman) shines brightly on every track. Aside from the down-home, countrified covers of the Miracles and the Beatles, Deschanel showcases her own strong songwriting ability throughout the rest of the group’s songs. Guiding the album with her velvety, alto voice, sounding like an older, wiser hybrid of such singers as Dusty Springfield and Jenny Lewis, she glides almost effortlessly through these simple, each-catching melodies that will surely make any heart skip a beat.

Review by Kelsey McArdle

Posted Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Reviews. The opinions expressed in music reviews are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WIUX or any of its other volunteers.