Someone somewhere has certainly mentioned that the best pop songs are love songs, and the best love songs are songs about lost love, unrequited love, and not-getting-what-you-want love. And so She & Him, the indie superduo of gravelly-voiced John Fahey-acolyte M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel, bring us Volume One of their take on these themes. With names like "I Thought I Saw Your Face Today," "Sentimental Heart," and "Change is Hard," it's not difficult to figure out on which side of the fence their emotions lie.

Due to the track record of thespian musical side projects (Bruce Willis' "The Return of Bruno," Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time," 30 Seconds to Mars), it's easy to approach a record like this with trepidation. While Ward's imprimatur—given his steady output of brilliant evocations of the American songbook—should give the knee-jerk scoffers pause, it's clear from the opening chord that this is Deschanel's show. She wrote the songs, and Ward's arrangements and production are designed to place her at the front. It turns out she has a strong voice, at times passionate, at times vulnerable, and at no point does she ever sound like she's faking it—she's not acting this time.

If there's anything that Volume One evokes consistently, it's the female solo pop singers of the late-50s to mid-60s—people like Petula Clark, Sandie Shaw, or even Lulu. Veering from torchy ballads ("Take It Back") to easy-going Californian rock (first single "Why Don't You Let Me Stay Here?") to Stone Poneys-era Linda Ronstadt ("This is Not a Test"), it's easy to imagine having seen grainy black-and-white clips of Deschanel singing the Shangri La's-ish "I Was Made for You" on Shindig! in 1964. It's a side of retro-gazing that hasn't been bludgeoned to death by millions of imitators.

Ward, one of the finest guitarists in the country and a fantastic songwriter himself, keeps himself unobtrusive throughout, adding a little pedal steel here, some piano there, and duetting on the two covers (Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got A Hold on Me" and a Hawaiian take on The Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better"). Ultimately, it's Deschanel's songs and voice that Volume One hangs on, proving that—despite her other, more well-known career—music may be where her future should lie.