Customer Reviews

By 7:30

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

An exceptionally talented singer/songwriter the music industry wrongly overlooked, Vonda Shepard got the chance of a lifetime when TV producer David E. Kelley hired her as a regular vocalist on a little show called "Ally McBeal." The show became a runaway hit, a soundtrack was released, and suddenly an artist without a hit to her name was getting constant airplay and selling platinum. And considering much of her material on "Ally" are covers that tie-in to the show's plots, Shepard's next move as a singer/songwriter should be especially interesting, right? Right. Rather than hire a hot, in-the-moment producer and get cozy with Sony, the label behind "Ally"'s music, Shepard impressively continued on the folky, introspective path begun on the pre-"Ally" album "It's Good, Eve," and teamed up with innovative producer Mitchell Froom (known best for his work with Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, and Los Lobos, among others). An early-years Joni Mitchell influence is obvious throughout the record, particularly on the title track and the stark ballad "Soothe Me," but Shepard's voice is unmistakably her own.

"Clear" cleverly positions acoustic piano against programmed drums and keyboard accents, "Sail on By" is a gorgeous piece of pop/rock balladry ready for radio, and the energetic "Confetti" offers some of Shepard's most clever lyrics to date ("poetry and tattooed dreams/and 14-karat noserings/the children of elite/are trying to be street"). "Newspaper Wife" is a country-tinged piece of blues/pop whose story of a lackluster relationship inspires a brilliant progression in production: both the music and Vonda's vocal start off wistful, then regretful, and wind up generally ticked off...wailing guitars, go-for-broke vocal ad libs, and lines like "I'm a slave and it's my own damn fault" make for one of the most chilling moments recent pop memory.

It's nice to see "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow," a superior cut from Vonda's self-titled 1989 debut, re-recorded here for a second shot at commercial success. Which version fans prefer, however, will depend entirely on their fondness (or lack thereof) for Indigo Girls vocalist Emily Sailers, brought in here to make the reworking a duet. The argument could be made that Shepard needed no one's help on the track, but there's no arguing the song's beauty and grace either way. But for "7:30"'s crowning moment, look no further than the Middle Eastern-tinged "Mercy," a touching account of a woman's past and artistic tendencies bearing inevitable influence on her lovelife: lyrics like "I've loved the elusive in every man I saw/I drew them to me like they were the last straw" make for some of the most unique and honest songwriting this side of the aforementioned Joni Mitchell.

In hindsight, singing covers every week on "Ally McBeal" was probably just the right inspiration to make this solo project such a bold declaration of self; whatever the reason, her fans are all the luckier for it.

Vonda -- a true find. I reluctantly took my wife to see Vonda (on the Ally McBeal tour) in Salt Lake City. I was ready for a yawn. Not so, instead she blew us away. She was fantastic. She has an incredible voice with great band backup. Yea, she's good on Ally Mcbeal singing others tunes, but she really, REALLY shines on her own work. By 7:30 was my 4th Vonda CD. At first listen I almost panned it. I wan't getting it. Big mistake! Then, on my second and third listen, I was hooked.

Plus, while Vonda's vocals are great her Bass player is amazing. This guy belts it on occasion throughout the cd. Crank the volume and enjoy.

Vonda and her band are true, unique, real artists. Yea, she does remakes on the show, but get ALL her original discs to really appreciate her. She has great lyrics and meaning plus incredible artistry and beauty to her music.

She has really brightened many a day with her unique music and voice. Thanks Vonda. You're a real find. Hey everyone, buy all her cds.

This CD is more reminiscent of "It's Good Eve" than the "Ally McBeal Soundtrack." Vonda is great when she does covers of other artists, but her original music is even better. If you are a fan of women singer-songwriters like Jewel, Sheryl Crow and Tori Amos, you will love Vonda. The duet, "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow" with Emily from the Indigo Girls is beautiful. "Confetti" reminds me of The Jam--it's a catchy tune. I highly recommend this CD!

Although most Vonda fans are older than me (im 16!), i can totally appreciate her music - and i love it. her voice is wonderful , her lyrics are inspiring and heartfelt. there isnt one song that i skip over when i play this cd. it was a real find. every track is a stand out - i especially enjoy the epic finish of "Soothe Me" followed beautifully by "Souvenir" plus the genius on "This Is Crazy Now", and the tital track "By 7:30". I cant wait to see her live. shes great on ally, but her own originals shine...just listen to songs like "Confetti" or "Sail On By" - every song here is a winner and there is no doubt that Ms Shepard is one very talented artist in our generation.

There is nothing wrong on that CD! The voice is gorgeous (so is the woman... TRUST ME!! I saw her and she's wonderful! Natural, sweet, and very very beautiful :) Besides, her songs are wonderful! Good lyrics, good music... A combination of all that is a promising album! The 13 tracks of that album are all a pleasure to listen to! ENJOY THE CD as much I do all the time and above all, go and see her live!!!!(It's good to know that a live album will come out in June 2004) There is nothing better than seeing her performing those beautiful songs! She rocks!!!
There are beautiful balads such as: Soothe Me, Cross To Bear, Souvenirs...
And songs like Baby Don't You Beak My Heart Slow, Confetti, Clear... astound you... And make you listen to the album again and again!! (...)ENJOY HER SOLO ALBUMS!!!

I had an absolute love affair with this CD and I can read from the other reviews that many others did to. This CD is a breath of fresh air for all those who need a change for the "teenpop" fluff that is popular today. "Cross To Bear" is a beautiful song that flows like poetry with such lyrical depth with lines like "I'm gonna live out my dreams even if they kill me in the end". "Soothe Me" just plain drew me to tears with its chilling depiction of loneliness and soul-searching. "Confetti" is a song with a chorus that every human whose ever been in a relationship can relate to that goes "My words are like confetti/And you never pick them up/They fall to the ground/I need someone to lift me up". These songs are just a few of the great songs on this remarkable CD by a gifted singer/songwriter who has come a long way from Ally McBeal.

I believe Vonda Shepard is a very under-rated artist. He beautiful voice and talented songwriting and composing make this album my favorite album of all time. I can totally identify with all the songs on it. For every song on the album, there is a deep hidden meaning behind it. If it were possible to give this album 10 stars I would--it totally deserves it.

I bought this album without much expectation. Although I liked the Ally McBeal soundtrack, I didn't think that she could live up to that effort with her latest attempt. Boy was I wrong! This album is easily better, with more depth, feel, and technique. All of the songs are meaningful and easy to remember, but in addition there are several awesome songs that I'll still be listening to a year from now. "By 7:30", "Clear", "Confetti", "This is crazy now", and "You and Me" are all memorable. But "Cross to Bear" is particularly memorable, and is made even more so by a lush piano solo. This is a great CD and I would recommend it to anyone.

If you are looking to find some cover tunes on this album, I'm afraid you will have to look elsewhere. This album has much more depth and spirit than anything she does on Ally McBeal. Three tracks of this album, By 7:30, Confetti, and Soothe Me stand out at the best, though this is one of the few albums I own in which I love every song. This is easily her best CD yet, don't listen to what CD reviewers say, they don't know what they're talking about.

I own the Ally Mcbeal soundtrack and Vonda Shepards first album "Vonda Shepard' and this definatly tops both! Grea songs like "Cross to Bear", "By 7:30", and "Baby, don't you breat my heart slow" (with guest apearance with "Emily Saliers" of the Indigo Girls) are some truely great peices of work. I have been waiting for this album to be released for a while since I heard abou it on the internet and it would be released in late July, but only have just bought. I do not expect it will be coming out of my CD pplayer for a while! ^_^