Album Review: ‘Classics’
(Columbia Records)
By Christina Vo
Dec. 2, 2014 12:00 a.m.
“Classics”
She & Him
Columbia Records
3.5/5 paws
Never failing to charm with its whimsical retro-pop sound, indie pop duo She & Him released yet another album, “Classics,” on Dec. 2 that takes listeners back in time and away from the music of contemporary pop.
She & Him, made up of actress and singer-songwriter Zooey Deschanel and singer-songwriter M. Ward, has previously released four records that include Christmas songs, covers and original material. The duo’s newest endeavor, “Classics,” consists of 13 covers of classic songs recorded live and backed by a 20-piece orchestra.
The album guides listeners through decades of classics, from wartime songs of the ’30s to jazz standards of the ’50s and ’60s. She & Him keeps the sound of the original tracks by adding a jazzy twist and reverb effect to the album’s covers.
Starting off the album beautifully with “Stars Fell On Alabama,” She & Him sets the bar high with a classic jazz standard that has been covered hundreds of times by artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, as well as Frank Sinatra. The cover features jazzy guitar chords and a backing orchestra that complement Deschanel’s warm and rich vocals.
The cover sets the warm tone of the album, and its lullaby-like melody accompanied by Deschanel’s light vibrato and old-school pop vocals simulates the feeling of sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold day.
However, the album fails to live up to its great start. In the next few tracks, She & Him continues incorporating jazz into its covers, a twist that begins to feel more and more overused as one continues listening to the album.
The duo does not add anything different or exciting into the covers besides adding more jazz on top of the original versions. Regardless, Deschanel’s warm and rich voice relentlessly shines in every single song that it is featured in.
The album reaches a low point with “She,” a cover that features Ward taking over on lead vocals. While it departs from the overused incorporation of jazz because it draws from Spanish music with classical Spanish guitar and trumpet arrangements, the cover falls flat.
Because “She” lacks Deschanel’s voice, the song loses She & Him’s trademark quirkiness. The track is like a huge bump in the road that disrupts the album’s flow of old-school pop simply because Deschanel’s vocals are missing. Without Deschanel’s voice, the album falls flat because her voice outshines all the other elements of the covers and sets the warm, retro-pop tone of “Classics.”
Deschanel’s vocals revive the album from its slump with the cover “It’s Always You.” The backing orchestra complements her voice well while the song is perfect for her vocal range. The track’s vocal demands showcase her beautiful and sultry low notes, her falsetto ability and her light vibrato. The addition of a guitar enhances the song’s jazz orchestra.
Unlike some of the other covers in the album, “It’s Always You” retains originality and creativity through the successful synthesis of She & Him’s retro-pop style and vocals with the jazz orchestra and beat in Frank Sinatra’s version.
The 10th track, “Unchained Melody,” a classic made famous by artists like the Righteous Brothers and Elvis Presley, incorporates excessive harmonization and moves at a sluggish place. Though it features only vocals and a backing guitar and deviates from the album’s jazz theme, the cover is so stuffy and stale that anything past the 30-second mark becomes painful to listen to.
She & Him appropriately ends “Classic” with a cover of a goodbye song from World War II, “We’ll Meet Again.” The cover is much more muted than the original by Vera Lynn, but features fewer jazz elements and keeps the trademark whimsicality of She & Him’s music.
The quiet and smooth jazziness of most of the tracks, along with Deschanel’s beautifully rich vocals, is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. These covers depart from contemporary Top 40 songs by providing a foray into jazz and old-school pop.
However, the album becomes dull and boring because of the constant use of the same jazz elements, like the same jazz beats and similar trumpet solos. The duo’s inability to come up with fresh new takes on these classics ultimately brings the album down, but its uniqueness shines through Deschanel’s vocals and its dedication to the retro-pop sound.
– Christina Vo
