Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward (She & Him, respectively) continue to mine the motherlode of sounds gone by in Volume 2 (A, e). Deschanel's voice plays with confidence alongside Ward's "sweeping wall of sound", which is no mean feat. And Ward's voice, which brought much of the playfulness to Volume 1, is pushed further into the background. When I first played Volume 2 I was surprised by this choice, but with subsequent spins I very much appreciate the final effect. Deschanel's delivery has a depth that brings to mind k.d. lang, in her Shadowland (A) phase (my fave lang album). Hopefully people who were originally drawn to the duo via "the actress" have gone on to explore some of Ward's own impressive ouevre, but this is about them, and finally about her -- which is as it should be.
I very much liked Volume 1; I like Volume 2 even more.
1 comment:
With you on Volume Two. Ms. Deschanel is improving with age. Vol. 2 is also a good excuse to re-queue Vol. 1, which holds up quite well with time's passage.
Adore (on Vol 2), her rendition of NRBQ's "Ridin' In my Car", where she leaves enough of NRBQ's take on the song while imbuing her vocal charms. She's the sweet kiss of a summer drive-by.
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