Hollywood Bowl

In their first headlining appearance at the Bowl, She and Him proved to be up to the task. Their 2008 debut album, while well-received, could have been a side project fluke. With a third soon to be released, it looks like they’re here to stay.

Zooey Deschanel has staked out the forgotten territory of pop singers like Skeeter Davis and Joanie Somers, whose plaintive style are not unlike Deschanel’s. I can also hear Linda Ronstadt in her palette of influences but the sound she creates with partner Matt Ward is distinctly their own. And she’s a style icon with one of the most copied looks in Hollywood.

Besides their own compositions, covers ranged from a jazzy acoustic version of the Sinatra favorite “Stars Fell on Alabama” to NRBQ’s “Ridin’ in My Car” featuring the harmonies of the Chapin Sisters. But, it was Mel Carter’s 1965 hit “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” delivered with a keen dramatic sense, that was indeed thrilling and an emotional high point of the night.

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