<strong><span class="s1">She and Him<br/> </span>Volume 3</strong><br/><strong>Double Six<span class="s2"><br/> </span><span class="s3"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s4">****</span></span></strong> In December 2011, some of the shine finally came off Zooey -Deschanel, the much-admired -actress and singer, when her seemingly fairy-tale marriage to Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard broke up. Deschanel’s more businesslike musical affiliation remains healthy, though, with the Portland singer-songwriter M Ward, and this first album of new material since the split is no soul-baring sob-fest. Far from it: She and Him remain firmly rooted in upbeat retro pop on <em>Volume 3</em>, Ward creating a warm wall of sound around his partner's pleasingly immediate songs and surprisingly sonorous vocals. Mostly written by Des-chanel during filming breaks, the 11 new compositions here reveal a refreshing grasp of songwriting, particularly the cleverly catchy <em>I Could've Been Your Girl</em> and the evocative easy listening of <em>Turn to White</em>, while her crooning more than adequately copes with the 1950s hit <em>Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me</em>. Less inspired is a karaoke-like cover of Blondie's <em>Sunday Girl</em>, and the occasional flat note and off-key guitar part suggests that the whole record was slightly hurried, between other, more important projects. Well, nobody's perfect. Follow us Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thenationalArtsandLife">Facebook</a> for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.
