“New York Press” Review of NY Webster Hall Show

Posted on April 23, 2008

The New York Press has two positive reviews of the Webster Hall show:

After the disappointment of cancelling the show at Hiro on Monday night, She & Him (aka M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel) played last night at Webster Hall. Two of our writers were there to check it out. And seems that both of them are a bit smitten.

David Callicott writes:

“I’m a big fan of Ward, but was suspect of his new partner, the young actress best known for roles in Almost Famous, Elf and, more recently, the Showtime series Weeds. Ugh, I thought, another cute starlet trying to cross over, this is gonna be cheesy. So when they released their debut Volume One last month, I was surprised to find myself addicted to it within minutes. It didn’t matter that it was so thoroughly derivative of 60s & 70s girly pop, it sounded authentic. Deschanel’s cotton candy voice-sweet enough to rot your teeth-and Ward’s soft-spoken yet husky harmonies are made for each other. Whether they’re covering Smokey Robinson or The Beatles, or introducing us to one of Deschanel’s lovesick originals, they’ve created the perfect soundtrack for spring.

Last night She & Him played a disappointingly but predictably short set that didn’t even cover all the songs on Volume One. While the set was entertaining to say the least, it was definitely not a “can’t miss” kind of show.

No matter, folks were there to see the starlet in the flesh, and would have cheered regardless if she had stood up there and done nothing but sing Happy Birthday. The appreciation was mutual. Deschanel, who as an actress rarely gets to witness a crowd’s reaction to her performances, couldn’t wipe the Golly-Gosh-Gee smile off her face as she stared back at the 1,500 pairs of adoring eyes that stared at her. It felt like the beginning of what I hope is a long-lasting love affair.
Christine Werthman writes:

Last night Zooey Deschanel stood front and center as the belle of the ball dressed in white, her hair fluffed and pinned in a Pollyanna, and the crowd clearly had a collective crush on the songstress. If one were a grammar nerd, one might make the following observation: Her positioning makes it no surprise that she gets to be the subjective personal pronoun “She” of the group, while M. Ward, standing off to the side, out of the spotlight with his guitar, assumes the lesser objective personal pronoun “Him.” One might also get beat up and lose some lunch money on the playground for making such dweeb-like statements.

Deschanel’s speaking voice was on the fritz, so she used giant handwritten posters to communicate sentiments like “Hello, New York,” “You all look great, really you do” and “Thank you.” But her singing voice is a real stunner. It gets a little pinched in her higher ranges on the album, but the venue gave it room to breathe, and she belted and cracked like an old pro country crooner- an adorable old pro who shook her tambourine when she didn’t know what else to do with her hands. Deschanel kept a beaming smile throughout the show, perhaps an old red carpet habit, but it was clear from the occasional deer-in-the-headlights look that she was nervous. Ward looked on as the foreboding leader, chipping in on guitar parts and vocal harmonies, and guiding the three additional band members, but he really gave Deschanel her space to shine.

The duo ran through songs from their debut album, with a couple additional pieces, including Ward’s “Magic Trick” from Post-War. During the encore of “Bring It on Home,” Deschanel mouthed to Ward whether or not to continue on with another verse. Ward gave her the approving nod, making it seem that while Deschanel, the precocious little girl with the meaty alto, might be the big draw, the She would be struggling without her Him by her side.

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