A Very She & Him Christmas (2011)
A Very She & Him Christmas
The first of two Christmas albums by She & Him, I enjoy this one each year. It’s definitely a relaxing and easy-listening album, as it has a comfortable feel. The album consists entirely of covers, so there isn’t anything original to hear. However, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward do a good job of providing an easy Christmas mood, and this album is great to listen to in the background, as well as to just enjoy their vocals. The album opens with “The Christmas Waltz”, which is one of my favorite Christmas songs. My favorite version of this one is done by Sinatra, but She & Him do a good job of capturing the same energy and sound. It’s followed by “Christmas Day”, written by Brian Wilson. The original version is sung by Al Jardine, and it’s definitely one of the best sung Christmas songs of the 60’s. Although Zooey does a good job with it, it’s super hard to beat Al’s vocals. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” are done really well, and they’re some of the songs that give this album the relaxing feel it has. Their version of “Sleigh Ride” is decently good, but I was disappointed by it. It’s my favorite Christmas song of all time, but their cover of it doesn’t meet my standards. Although it was still good, I just don’t find it as exciting as the other versions that I love, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Leroy Anderson. The track is followed by “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, and this one is done fabulously. Zooey does a great job of capturing the sound that Brenda Lee gave this song, and that’s something few female singers can do. Zooey gives it the same energetic feel that the original version has. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and “Blue Christmas” both have the festive, love feel that the originals have. I really like Zooey’s rendition of Blue Christmas, and although both Elvis and Brian Wilson have the superior versions, Zooey still ranks up there. The second to last track is “Little Saint Nick”, which is my second favorite Christmas song of all time. Their version of it isn’t up to par with the original, but bits and pieces of it still capture the 60’s sound that the Beach Boys gave it. The album ends with “The Christmas Song”, which is a great track to end off with. After everything you listen to, you get left with the relaxed feel of a happy Christmas, and I’m glad they chose this song to cap off the album. Overall, I would recommend this one to everyone. This album is officially Berry Approved, so go listen to it now!