Duo’s ‘Volume Two’ fun album, Zooey Deschanel provides sweet, innocent voice

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“Volume Two,” the second album from songwriting duo She & Him, is a catchy, upbeat affair with a sound just as cute and inoffensive as member Zooey Deschanel herself.

The duo includes Deschanel — also an actress — and folk-rocker, M. Ward. When Ward and Deschanel announced they had paired to work on music together, the collaboration between the then-dating duo seemed like a great fit: Zooey’s innocent sweetness was the perfect match for Ward’s smoky, soulful brand of folk.

What “Volume One” offered was pretty much exactly what one would imagine: Deschanel’s squeaky-clean voice was front and center, easing its way through undeniably catchy melodies, while Ward’s simple, lush arrangements offered a downy sonic bed upon which Zooey’s voice could rest.

The result was a solid batch of catchy pop songs that sounded like distant cousins of ‘70s AM Gold hits.

What appears on “Volume Two” isn’t a whole lot different.

It wears its inspirations on its sleeve and Deschanel’s not-particularly-special voice is still at the heart of these songs. Ward’s lush arrangements are just as lovely as ever.

One small difference is the use of backing vocals. Almost every single track features Beach Boys-style soaring, reverberated wordless vocals.

It’s a nice touch, though it loses its effect rather quickly, considering how often the trick is used.

Despite its rather bland, totally inoffensive nature, “Volume Two” has a handful of really strong standout tracks. One such track is opener “Thieves,” which skips with a slightly Latin rhythm from verse to soaring chorus to verse.

The real gold is in the track’s last minute, when Ward’s arrangements break free with orchestral reverence.

Oddly enough, it sounds an awful lot like the ending of “Volume One” opener, “Sentimental Heart,” which goes out in a similar fashion.

Unexpected a cappella closer, “If You Can’t Sleep,” is another one of the album’s gems.

Deschanel’s multi-tracked humming replicates a giant, pillowy string section while she bids the song’s subject goodnight: “In your dreams, I’ll touch your cheek/And lay my head on your shoulder.”

Though “Volume Two” may not offer anything wholly original, it certainly succeeds in acting as a musical incarnation of Deschanel herself: sweet, timeless and completely harmless.