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Album review: Classics (She & Him)

SINGAPORE — This covers/tribute album by Zooey Deschanel and M Ward is also the first recording released by Columbia Records after the duo left indie label Merge Records earlier this year. As anyone familiar with the duo’s repertoire and influences would know, there are no big surprises in the choice of songs here: The Sixties figure prominently in the scheme of things. There’s the Bacharach-David standard This Girl’s In Love With You, a tune so gorgeous even Noel Gallagher couldn’t butcher it. Speeded up slightly and with an overall soft-jazz feel, it’s one of the highlights. Elsewhere, there’s a smoky rendition of She — with Ward on vocals — and the immortal Unchained Melody (with The Chapin Sisters), which is given the over-the-top vocal treatment it deserves. All told, a wonderfully respectful album.

A Los Campesinos! Christmas by Los Campesinos!

A Los Campesinos! Christmas by Los Campesinos!

SINGAPORE — This covers/tribute album by Zooey Deschanel and M Ward is also the first recording released by Columbia Records after the duo left indie label Merge Records earlier this year. As anyone familiar with the duo’s repertoire and influences would know, there are no big surprises in the choice of songs here: The Sixties figure prominently in the scheme of things. There’s the Bacharach-David standard This Girl’s In Love With You, a tune so gorgeous even Noel Gallagher couldn’t butcher it. Speeded up slightly and with an overall soft-jazz feel, it’s one of the highlights. Elsewhere, there’s a smoky rendition of She — with Ward on vocals — and the immortal Unchained Melody (with The Chapin Sisters), which is given the over-the-top vocal treatment it deserves. All told, a wonderfully respectful album.

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