Volume Two
Merge Records

by Scott Butler

Actress Zooey Deschanel and Alterna-folkie M. Ward have again joined forces to bring us their beautifully updated version of 60's and 70's AM radio with Volume Two. If you are like me, and were seduced by Deschanel's sweet crooning in the Will Ferrell vehicle Elf back in 2003, that may have prompted you to explore the first pairing of these two on their 2008 effort titled, (you guessed it) Volume One.

M. Ward's production is an homage to all things Phil Spector and Deschanel's lyrics and singing transport the listener back to those bygone days of sugary sweet pop, put out by the likes of Petula Clark and The Carpenters.

All the songs on Volume Two were penned by Deschanel except two choice covers, the first, "Riding In My Car" by NRBQ and the classic Skeeter Davis track, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now." Like on Volume One, the songs they chose to cover show the listener their wide range of influences.

Deschanel's songwriting craft is most certainly a tip of the cap to the classic Brill Building pop of songwriting legends  Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, among others. The first single, "In The Sun"  is a bright slice of up-tempo pop that you'd expect from this pair, but that's not to say the duo can't slow things down when they want to. Take the album closer for instance, "If You Can't Sleep."

I think that (unfortunately) some people might shy away from this record for fear that it is so sweet it might cause tooth decay. That most certainly would be their loss because they'd be missing out on two very talented artists converging to create quality pop music in a day and age when it is so sorely needed.