She & Him — Volume One

Jared Leto... Juliette Lewis... Zooey Deschanel? Guilty pleasure alert: This may just be the first enjoyable disc from a movie star since William Shatner's 1968 release The Transformed Man. The key here, one would assume, is what collaborator M. Ward has done with Deschanel's saved-up bedroom recordings. Songs vary slightly in style from straight-up country, to '60s-style pop and Grease-like doo-wop and they all manage to work. Deschanel's voice is competent enough that you'll be wondering if acting should have been her primary career choice. A cover of The Miracles' "You Really Got A Hold Of Me" and a reimagining of The Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better" were a little unnecessary, but decently done. Standout track "This Is Not A Test" is magical and, gasp, rather Neko Case-like. If you play this when you have friends over, you're going to get laughed at. Save it for headphones.

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