Volume One |  | Artist: She & Him
Creators: M. Ward, Zooey Deschanel
Label: Merge Records
Category: Music
List Price: $15.99
Buy New: $9.99
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Seller: -importcds
Rating:  112 reviews
Sales Rank: 551
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.3
UPC: 673855032429
EAN: 0673855032429
ASIN: B0012IWHQO
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Sentimental Heart | | • | Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? | | • | This Is Not A Test | | • | Change Is Hard | | • | I Thought I Saw Your Face Today | | • | Take It Back | | • | I Was Made For You | | • | You Really Gotta Hold On Me | | • | Black Hole | | • | Got Me | | • | I Should Have Known Better | | • | Sweet Darlin' |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Track Listing: 1. Sentimental Heart 2. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? 3. This Is Not A Test 4. Change Is Hard 5. I Thought I Saw Your Face Today 6. Take It Back 7. I Was Made For You 8. You Really Gotta Hold On Me 9. Black Hole 10. Got Me 11. I Should Have Known Better 12. Sweet Darlin'
Amazon.com
Some of us first fell in love with Zooey Deschanel's distinctive and charming voice when she crooned, "Baby it’s cold outside," with Will Ferrell in their 2003 movie, Elf. Then, in concert last summer, M.Ward invited Deschanel to the stage, where they effortlessly created the equivalent of musical utopia. In their first recorded collaboration as She & Him, Deschanel and Ward strike the same sincerity with his nostalgic production and her retro resonance. Cover songs such as "You Really Got a Hold on Me," previously performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, gain a newfound heartache and undeniable splendor. Bring on Volume 2. --Amanda MacKinnon
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 112
 California soul at 33 rpm April 17, 2008
S. Yates (Bath, UK)
78 out of 81 found this review helpful
Zooey Deschanel is definitely a child of California's better nature. On her and M. Ward's first record, she harks back to the golden era of the Golden State, somewhere between Sweetheart of the Rodeo and Heart Like a Wheel, when singer-songwriters from all corners of the US, Canada, and Britain were all in Cali making laid-back, radio-friendly records with a country bent. From the first listen, it's clear how steeped she is in her parents' record collection. (They were both active in Hollywood during that time, so I'm assuming it's their influence. NB - Her father Caleb did the cinematography for A Woman Under the Influence. +1000 Cali points.)
OK, so that might not be everyone's cup of tea. I've seen 1-star reviews on here deriding this record as pedestrian fluff, and fair game, I suppose. A lot of great records are pedestrian fluff by that reckoning. Carole King's Tapestry, for instance, divides a lot of music lovers. Is a record "Easy Listening" just because it's easy to listen to? Some people prefer mutton to lamb because they like to have something to chew on, and who am I to tell them that's wrong?
It's really about what you grew up with. Put on Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits in a room full of people and you'll immediately separate the teary-eyed from the disinterested. That's the same kind of reaction this record seems to be generating. Maybe some people didn't really grow up with music, and their only touchstones are the Postal Service and the Shins, and so they're disappointed that this record doesn't strike any chords with them. But for those who love Gram Parsons, Loretta Lynn, Diana Ross, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and - oh, let's say the Shangri-Las - then this record is sure to feel warm and familiar.
Part of that is the "sound". Nice touches abound, including choice backing vocals, strings, pedal steel, pianos, etc., but M. Ward's production thankfully doesn't sex it up too much, instead faithfully showcasing the lovely voice of Ms. Deschanel. She sings about as pretty as she looks (and about as smart as she talks), which will be obvious to anyone who has seen Elf or, more recently, her movie-stealing minor turn in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Her songwriting is also remarkable, partly because it's surprisingly good and partly because it's so very anachronistic. It sounds like she went around collecting songs with a time machine.
A few choice covers polish it off. "You Really Got a Hold On Me" carries on the very California tradition of covering or writing for soul musicians, as per Janis Joplin, Carole King, the Flying Burrito Bros, though it's mostly done in the same vein as M. Ward's weeping-willow cover of David Bowie's "Let's Dance". A lilting luau rendiditon of the Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better" would feel right at home on Ry Cooder's Chicken Skin Music. She curiously closes the record with the Negro spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", a fairly innocuous choice which puts the record to bed.
Overall, this record is just an unexpected treat for fans of Ms. Deschanel. As for the criticism that's going around, like that her stage presence isn't great in youtube videos of her first ever live performances of her own songs, it seems a bit harsh. The "pedestrian fluff" argument also seems a bit off the mark, since to me that would mean doing the kind of Michelle Branch-style acoustic rock that most females with guitars seem doomed to play. On the contrary, Volume One is a smart, disarming record that manages to be sweet without being precious, smart without being self-conscious, and retro without oversimplifying or resorting to gimmicks. 5 stars sounds about right.
Best Since Born to Run???? October 3, 2008
Dan Lauber (USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Strange headline, eh? Well, though my favorite artists are Springsteen, The Kinks, and The Rainmakers, I can't get She & Him "Volume One" out of my CD player. It's the first CD since Springsteen's "Born to Run" where I readily liked every song on it -- consider that a high compliment.
I've been entranced by the inventive and very tuneful melodies of the songs She wrote. It took a few listenings, but "Change Is Hard" has emerged by my favorite and most unforgettable song. The tune is just plain very inventive and ultimately captivating. That's not to denigrate the other songs. "I Was Made for You" is a rollicking old time "girl-group" tune. Frankly they're all a joy -- this CD really reminds me of the inventiveness and adventuresomeness of early Linda Ronstadt, post Stone Poneys. And her take on "You Really Got a Hold on Me" is smoking (the live versions on YouTube are kind of the "hot" variety).
All in all, a sheer joy of memorable and inventive tunes with lyrics that don't insult your intelligence. Not for everybody's taste, but certainly able to appeal to a broad spectrum of musical tastes.
What a Surprise! April 8, 2008
Jonathan E. Rice (Lexington, OH USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I really adore Zooey Deschanel's acting. Now, I have only seen two movies that she has been in (Failure to Launch & Tin Man) but in both films, she is superb. In Failure to Launch she is just a supporting character, but she steals the show (along with Terry Bradshaw). And I love her facial expressions in Tin Man.
OK, enough about that. At first listen I didn't care much for this CD. I was very disappointed when I sampled it on iTunes. But for some reason, I just kept getting drawn back to listen again and again. Probably about my fourth listen I was hooked. I can't explain it, but there is just something about this CD that grows on you.
It reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. When I first watched it, I thought, "It's OK." But after watching it, as the week went on, I started thinking about it and thought, "Man, that movie was really funny!" This CD is kind of like that (at least for me) Only instead of "funny" it is just really good music. I hope to hear more from She & Him in the future (or even just Zooey by herself).
good album April 21, 2008
J. Leist (Huntington, IN)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Solid album--I would recommend listening to the album a couple of times before you make up your mind. It will on grow on you. Highlights include the kazoo (or is that an ostrich being strangled?) during "This is not a Test," and the retro feel of "I was made for you" and "Sweet Darlin." All in all might not quite blow you away the way her duet from Elf did, but a really good album nonetheless.
beautiful March 20, 2008
sec127 (Getzville, New York United States)
14 out of 19 found this review helpful
this is a flawless, beautiful, wonderful debut album. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward craft amazing music. If you like classic 70s singer-songwriter stuff, this is for you.
cant wait for Volume 2, if it ever comes.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 112
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