She & Him and Me
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Maybe I had a wee chip on my shoulder when I went to Bimbo's 365 Club on Sunday to see She & Him - touring to promote their debut album Volume One. I mean, I'm already on record as a supporter of the talented, cheerfully idiosyncratic Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter-guitarist M. Ward who is the "Him" in She & Him. But, even though I had seen the folk-rock/alt-country duo and their band performing a couple of songs on late-night television and enjoyed what they did, I couldn't shake the idea that the "She" of the group - gamine actress Zooey Deschanel ("Elf," "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe," "The Good Girl," "Almost Famous," etc.) - was a case of stunt casting.
You know the deal. We've seen it before: Hollywood brat decides to be a rock star, does trumped up vanity project, ends up in the cut-out bin, blah, blah, blah…
I was wrong though. She & Him were a treat in concert. Ward was, as usual, shifting from tasteful and eloquent to jagged and off-the-wall on guitar. And Deschanel was the heart of the thing. She writes the duo's wry, bittersweet songs (although they do a few covers - beautifully). She sings them - skillfully. And she plays piano, tidily.
Them...She & Him.
On television, I enjoyed her winsome delivery, even if she seemed somewhat tentative. In concert, she was so much more assured. She could project a breathy girlishness when the material called for it. Then, she'd get all womanly and passionate on the next song. When she dug into covers of the soulful Smokey Robinson & the Miracles hit "You Really Got a Hold on Me" and Joni Mitchell's witty, seductive love song "You Turn Me On - I'm a Radio," she was never intimidated by the original artists - and her voice was potent enough to call it belting. Ward's playing was an ideal complement, and they were ably supported by the rest of the ensemble, including back-up singer Becky Sharp (lead vocalist with the opening act - the dreamy folk-pop unit Lavender Diamond).
Deschanel's compositions range from the confessional chamber-folk revelations of "Sentimental Heart" to the early '60s girl-group R&B verve of "I Was Made for You," the broken-hearted, country-styled regret of "Change Is Hard," and the romping Beatlesque rock of "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" (The latter was the penultimate song of the set, a genuine peak, and featured a wild, stunning Ward solo.) And talk about gutsy: the encore included versions of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You" (as a dark duet) and Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me." Again, Deschanel delivered.
So I'm on board. If you enjoy Jenny Lewis with or without Rilo Kiley, allow me to recommend She & Him. Deschanel can act all she wants, and M. Ward better keep putting out his own music. I'd just hate to think that they would leave this collaboration on the back burner for too long.
Those who are so inclined can listen to a stream of "I Was Made for You" on the MOG player. And they can also enjoy a performance of "Change is Hard" from "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" via the clip below:
Comments (19)
Great write up Mike, as you know I'm a big fan of M Ward here but havne't really listened much to the She and Him project. I will give it more airtime after this... I'm not a big fain of the Grease type of music but I do like the chemistry I'm hearing from you on thier duet. Thanks!
god I love these two, and the clip is one i have watched a million times
eloquently put m the k
love this record
anything m ward touches is gold in my book
seeing him live is a must
a true vintage original, if that is possible and whirlwind on guitar
and zoey was fantastic in that m. night shyamalan film last year as well as on weeds
grease type music you say, huh indy
I've been seeing Zoey all over the place. I had no idea she sang. She has a great voice too.. Fun!
I was surprised that Zooey was as good a singer as she ended up being. Of course, I knew M. Ward was great.
I was so out of it I hadn't heard of either She or Him, so it's a real thrill being devirginated here. I guess I'm a grease type music type. Thanks, Mike.
I like this. I have the album, but I've only heard it once or twice. So much new music around. Can't hardly keep up. I'll have to put this one back on the list.
Sounds surprisingly good, thanks. :)
Nice.
I like their choice of cover songs. You can hear histroy in their music, but you don't expect Screaming Jay Hawkins in that mix.
my She & Him appreciation has also been confined to second-hand listening. i love how Deschanel comes to life onscreen, being a real cutie, but, precisely, i passed her up as a mere cutie when it came to music. i did not realize she wrote songs and could carry her weight live. good post, Mike, thanks. i will give him & her a bigger chance next time.
Great review Mike! Enjoyed the video a lot. Sounds like it was a real treat. I'd read some positve reviews about the team-up, but that was a first listen for me. I'll be searching out more...
I think we all do that - initially we are very skeptical about whether or not an artist can do more than one thing - in the arts. Usually they can't, or at least can't do it well, but this is an obvious exception.
Was it just me, or did have a real Linda Ronstadt vibe going on in that Ferguson appearance... (?)
Van
Enjoyed these songs, ta. I'm a big fan of M Ward's Post-War, wasn't aware of this project at all
I saw them at The Orange Peel in Asheville on July 31st.
Fantastic show! Zooey reminded me of Loretta Lynn and Dusty Springfield with an indie pop/alt-country spin.
She is maybe a better singer than actress. I really like them. Mike, take a look at this chick I just mogged, Olivia.. think you will like it xoxo
Hey, guys! Thanks for the wonderful responses. We're all on parts of the same page here. Sorry about my own tardy comment, but I've been dealing with some personal matters that have taken up all of my time. That said, fear not! (Or fear...) The Knife shall MOG on!
PS to liz, re: Olivia. You ain't kiddin'! ;-)
Catching up on posts here. This does sound great. I was on a huge M. Ward tear in 2007, but I never picked this one up. Hope your health has improved.
Happy to have you drop in anytime, Oatmeal. Ward is a maximum talent. And thanks for the encouragement.