Actress and indie film heartthrob Zooey Deschanel (Almost Famous, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) teams up with esteemed singer/songwriter M. Ward for her debut album “Volume one” under the guise of She & Him.

Despite any misgivings for the actress-to-musician crossover that usually spells disaster, Deschanel carries herself surprisingly well.

She & Him play rootsy indie folk in the same vein as Cat Power, and Joanna Newsom. Behind Deschanel’s voice you can hear that definite Ward sound, with his guitar play, the percussion and the string arrangements.

The tone is completely different from his solo records though, and you can tell that She & Him are performing Deschanel’s songs. The dark experimentalism of Ward is replaced with more accessible pop.

The intimate opening ballad “Sentimental heart” sets the tone for the album immediately, and unfolds in a beautiful crescendo toward the end.

“I was made for you” and “Sweet Darlin'” (co-written by Jason Schwartzman) are Ronettes type 60s girl pop song, complete with drums that sound lifted off of “Be my baby.”

“Why do you let me stay here?” has a nice drive to it and sounds like something that Sasha Bell of the Essex Green could have produced.

There are some interesting covers on “Volume one.”

The duo tackle Smokey Robinson’s “You really got a hold on me,” a daunting task, considering the sheer amount of artists that have already performed the song. She & Him’s version is almost completely barebones, with Deschanel’s naked voice backed up by a slow strumming acoustic guitar and Ward’s characteristic harmonies. The end result is haunting and gorgeous.

A cover that doesn’t quite work as well is the country version of the Beatles “I should have known better.” It feels more like a novelty, something that is fun and cute but without any real substance.

Ultimately She & Him is a perfect example that the actress/musician vocation doesn’t necessarily need to end in shambles.

“Volume one” was released on March 18 on Merge.