Imagine a cover album by She & Him, the indie duo made up of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Got those sounds in your head? Well, that’s exactly how Classics sounds.
Classics is the duo’s fifth album, following last year’s Volume 3 and technically their second full-cover album after 2011’s A Very She & Him Christmas. It is made up of 13 cover tunes, expertly picked to mesh well with their unique, low-key sound.
Throughout their existence, Deschanel and Ward have made it quite obvious that they don’t listen to today’s music, or at least they don’t take notes. They’ve recorded plenty of covers in the past on their albums, from The Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better” on Volume One and The Beach Boys' "Got Only Knows" to “Baby” on Volume Three, highlighting their love for ‘60s pop. So it seems natural that they would do a full cover album of traditional pop tunes.
On Classics, you’ll find “Unchained Melody” in a re-worked edition that highlights Deschanel’s best vocals and “Stay Awhile” with a great guitar solo from Ward.
“Stars Fell on Alabama” opens the album with a sweet performance from Deschanel. Ward also takes over the microphone on “She,” which features a mournful horns intro. “Oh No, Not My Baby” has a snappy drumbeat that would make Carole King and the late Gerry Goffin happy if they heard it. The album closes with a performance of the iconic “We’ll Meet Again.”
Classics isn’t actually an adventurous album, as She & Him are still sticking with the sound they crafted on their first album in 2008. But it does prove that these songs are open to countless interpretations. In other words, if you didn’t like She & Him before, this isn’t going to change your mind. Their work can seem a bit repetitive, but they aren’t just a superficial duo without talent. Ward’s production consistently brings out the best in Deschanel’s vocals on song after song.