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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Volume One
by She & Him


8.3

based on 18 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 16 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

She & Him @ Merge Records

Actress Zooey Deschanel teams up with M Ward on this debut album.

LABEL:	Merge
RELEASE DATE:	18 March 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock, Singer-Songwriter

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

The Onion (A.V. Club)

The overall effect is an endearing, successful addition to Ward's never-ending quest to assimilate every single populist song form of the 20th century.

Hartford Courant

Featuring 10 originals and three covers (including an unlisted version of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'), the album is a showcase for Deschanel’s pipes and Ward’s clever musical arrangements.

All Music Guide

Deschanel's songs are simple and sad tales of heartbreak and missed connections, with hooky melodies and not a single artless moment to be found.

Billboard

Luckily, [the a bland name and album title are] the most awkward things about this surprisingly rewarding collection of dusky, mesquite-flavored torch songs.

Delusions of Adequacy

She & Him is the product of folk troubadour M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel and the results are a beautiful product.

Under The Radar

Never does it feel like the duo are tryinng to recreate classic songs one by one, instead they try to remind us of the feelings and the emotions that those songs elicit. [Spring 2008, p.84]

No Ripcord

Warm and elegant, careful but not calculated, Ward's production stands perfectly alongside his solo releases in terms of sound, style and impact.

Pitchfork

Deschanel is more convincing when she's on an extreme end of romance--either losing it or being swept into it--than when she's trying to rationalize it.

Prefix Magazine

Careworn and authentic, the prismatic scatter of songs on Volume One, filtered through the sepia tinge of Deschanel and Ward’s nostalgia, sound more like out-of-time gems than the loving recreations they are.

Rolling Stone

Deschanel's songs are simple, which is a smart move--what a drag if she were trying to sing serious torch songs--but She and Him don't fare so well with covers.

Slant Magazine

Volume One ought to provide plenty of replays for fans of either artist.

Spin

Both seem to be having a blast acting out their fantasies,, which makes Volume One consistent fun. [Apr 2008, p.102]

Tiny Mix Tapes

The songwriting is capable, it’s just somewhat predictable, and the lyrics are cheeky.

Village Voice

There's nothing offensive about anything on Volume One, which, with its catchy melodies, universally appealing lyrics, and mellow production, might just be a hit.

Dusted Magazine

Slight doubts about whether or not Zooey Deschanel is the best person to be singing these songs aside, Volume One is pretty much spot-on.

Austin Chronicle

Deschanel's voice inhabits so many chanteuses that she never reveals her own, save perhaps for unadorned closer 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot,' and at times even threatens a theatrical kitsch (especially the Hawaiian-cowpoke arrangement of the Beatles' 'I Should Have Known Better'), but Volume One is utterly enveloping in its charm.

PopMatters

Any listener looking to spend a reverb-drenched summer on the beach revisiting the golden age of AM radio could do far worse than spending the season with She and Him.

Sputnikmusic

She & Him's debut release is more like a collection of songs rather than a cohesive, fresh album, and as such, is a letdown for a singer that showed a lot of promise.

The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Steve O. gave it a10:
This stuff is classic! Great voice, M. Ward does an exceptional stuff with his guitar... great great stuff.

Josh Y. gave it a9:
Pure beauty and art.

Evan S. gave it an8:
Pure sweetness.

William B. gave it a7:
Sounds like a Mamas and Papas solo album from 1972. Zooey has a good voice and a good feel for this agreeable throwback of an album.

Nick Z. gave it a9:
All in all, a good album. It's not groundbreaking but it's warm and endearing.

Rob R. gave it a2:
Snooze fest.

Chad S. gave it an8:
Back in the twentieth century, Milla Jonovich put out a surprisingly assured album that featured the great single "Gentlemen Who Fell", a song that favored comparably with the best of Kate Bush. While nothing on She and Him approaches that magnificent fluke, "Volume One" is the better album, even with the awkward cover of "Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot". If you're into Lavendar Diamond, songs like "Sentimental Heart" and "This is Not a Test" will work like a charm. Maybe Smoosh, too. There's sort of a naive art quality to "Volume One". The actress who gave such vivid performances in "Almost Famous" and "All the Real Girls" should leave The Beatles alone. Then it sounds like karaoke at Sofia Coppola's house. But her originals are fine.

Volume One by She & Him

Volume One
by She & Him