What's immediately striking about M Ward and Zooey Deschanel's third album is that they even managed to get a third album out. Ensuring both parties are in the same place at the same time must tax the patience of their respective schedulers. What's also striking is that Volume 3 is probably the most cohesive and convincing of their collaborations to date, the pair sounding far more comfortable as partners than previously. The collective fondness for 1950s pop and 1960s girl groups still dictates their swing, but songs such as the sassy I've Got Your Number, Son and the teary I Could've Been Your Girl are more rounded, nuanced and confident than anything they've written before. Deschanel is still plundering the book of whimsy, but Ward's production is a much stronger match for her voice and material this time out.
sheandhim.com
Download: Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me ; I've Got Your Number, Son