We all know that musicians-turned-actors and actors-turned-
musicians can be a really risky endeavor. In this case, it definitely worked out.
Zooey Deschanel is known for her roles in Almost Famous, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Showtime’s Weeds and the movie that made me fall in love with her voice in the first place, Elf. That’s right; the actress playing the not-so-jolly Jovie actually does sing her own songs in that movie and last year joined forces with producer and solo artist Matt Ward to record an album.
Ward and Deschanel’s Volume One makes their influences of Les Paul and Mary Ford, Nina Simone, Linda Ronstadt and “about a hundred others” (according to the bio on their MySpace page) very apparent in their songs. Their sound ranges from doo-wop (“I Was Made For You” and “Sweet Darlin’”) to Country (“Black Hole”) with dominating use of piano and guitar, giving them an overall Indie vibe.
The album consists only of Ward’s stripped-down guitars and piano to accompany Deschanel’s smooth voice, with the occasional appearance by M. Ward, himself. There are the rare strings and soft drums but mostly it’s the soft sounds of the guitar and Deschanel’s smoky voice, accomplishing their goal of making music “by hand – and with as few machines as humanly possible” (MySpace bio).
I mustn’t forget to mention their cover of “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me”, originally by The Miracles. Though this gem is not found on their album, Deschanel and Ward’s live version is definitely worth the online hunt. Both Ward and Deschanel contribute their voices, which harmonize very effectively to convey the torn emotion of the song. The listener even gets a rare high strain in Deschanel’s voice which gives us a peek into this talented woman’s arsenal of weapons to be used, but only when absolutely necessary.
Buy the album at our record store on Amazon
Oh and by the way, be sure to check out more awesomeness on Enter the Shell:
Free Song Download – “I Found Love” by Shit Robot
Album Review – The Boxer by Kele
The 5 Best Rap Albums of All-Time
Album Review- Flamingo by Brandon Flowers
Enter the Shell Show-Top 5 songs of 2010
You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this blog and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it. Anyway, I felt it was about time I posted, I