Hear the review here.

Rating: 4 / 10

Fans of the movie “Elf” were delighted to hear the new album from actress Zooey Deschanel and singer-songwriter, M. Ward. The two have a band, She & Him, and recently released their debut album, “Volume One.”

With her sultry rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from “Elf,” I expected more of the smooth, jazzy vocals that turned heads in the first place. However, listeners will be surprised to find something quite different.

The first three songs sound almost as though they were ripped straight from a ’50s or ’60s pop song. The vocals are not very impressive and devoid of the deep soul and meaning Deschanel put into songs in “Elf.”

Lacking, cheesy lyrics such as “Piece of the puzzle / you’re my missing part” from the song “Sentimental Heart” do not make it anymore bearable for the ears.

In “This Is Not a Test,” Deschanel takes a nose dive when she decides to either vocally mock a trumpet or play a kazoo in between her singing. Normally, a kazoo solo would not only be extremely funny, but also entertaining; however this was not the case for this already ridiculous song.

From here, the CD only gets worse, as Deschanel seems to channel Patsy Cline. The remainder of the album has a very “old-style country” sort of feel to it complete with slide guitar, corny stereotypical lyrics about lost lovers and a nauseating, fake-sounding Southern drawl.

It was difficult to avoid the “seek” button on the stereo as the album slowly droned on. Luckily, my ears were granted a slight reprieve with the song “Take It Back.” In this song, Zooey uses more of the expected tone and style. The slight swing and jazzy styles take over, and she slightly redeems herself in this song that is a declaration to a former lover that he no longer stands a chance.

The surprise bonus track of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” was rather interesting, too. Though she does have a fairly low alto voice for a female vocalist, this depressing rendition of the song was the cherry atop the awesomely bad sundae of She & Him’s first album.