Customer Reviews

Chinatown

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think I still prefer Vonda Shepard's older works, which seemed a little more introspective perhaps. Having said that, the lady has a beautiful voice, and produces great music always. Like others, I was introduced to her work through Ally McBeal and the upbeat tempo title tune for that show. It was a great tune, and only scratches the surface of the talent that Vonda Shepard has.
I've seen her live (a few years ago in the ballroom at Trump's Marina), and would catch her whenever I could. She's currently making appearances on a schedule that can be found at her official site: ... She put on a nice live performance to sample songs from Chinatown and didn't disappoint the crowd, who wanted to hear a little of the tunes she's done on the Ally McBeal soundtracks.
Warning to potential buyers - if you are looking for Ally McBeal pop tunes, don't buy this CD, buy the soundtracks from that show instead.
If you want to hear great tunes of her own that Vonda Shepard has done, then by all means pick up this great disc and enjoy it.

4 months ago, I saw Vonda in concert in Paris... SHE was totally amazing!!! That day,she played 3 songs from Chinatown (Lose My Way, My Whole World and Rainy Days) And I immediatly fell in love with those songs! And NOW I have CHINATOWN...and I can say that all the songs are really GOOD... BEAUTIFUL MUSIC AND LYRICS!!! "The Sunset Marquis" and "Rain Or Shine" are to me, the best songs! Vonda shows us AGAIN that she's really talented! Let's listen "Chinatown"!!
I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

This CD is a must get! I admit I'm a huge fan of Vonda. She doesn't dissapoint with Chinatown! If you enjoyed by 7:30 you will love this! It's hard to pick a favorite track on this one but Rain or Shine is it for me. A very special song, one of her balllads to be remembered. My husband and I had the awesome pleasure of seeing her this past weekend, what a show she puts on!We also talked to her afterward. She is such a classsy lady. See her if you can! And get this CD!

Vonda Shepard does everything right on "Chinatown," her first post-Ally McBeal CD. The songs are interesting, melodious, catchy, with arrangements and vocals to match. "Remember all these rainy days; we saved them up, but tomorrow never came," she sings on the opener "Rainy Days." The title track is a catchy driving track whose intricate lyrics become more fascinating with repeated listenings, "Miles away there's another world; I know I'm the luckiest girl; found my heart in Chinatown." "My Whole World" has spent much of the winter in my personal top ten, my favorite track on the CD. Mitchell Froom's minimoog and keyboard touches keep this track pumping, "My whole world comes down to this, to live in inspiration without checking off a list." Vonda's insistent piano displays the soft reflective melody of "Lose My Way." "Every night apart you were in my heart; so don't you worry cause I'm ready for this love to restart," she sings on the gorgeous "Rain or Shine." Froom takes Shepard's beautiful "Downtime" and makes it sound Beatlesque with harmonium and hammond flourishes. Wild rhythmic touches and keyboards make "Gyroscope" unique & fresh. "In July" is a lovely dreamscape that gives a feeling of timelessness. "The Sunset Marquis" is an excellent song; it tells a story with a pretty melody line giving Vonda a wonderful jewel as songwriter and performer, among her very best. Vonda gives a great sense of strength amid romantic breakup on "7 Days." The CD concludes with the soft "Promising Grey Day." Throughout the CD, Vonda unifies the set with images of rain and cloud. Her personal and professional linkage with Mitchell Froom has given creativity free reign. "Chinatown" is an excellent set. Enjoy!

This CD, to my ears, excells all of Vonda's earlier non-Ally albums. It's a shame that most people in England only know her from Ally McBeal, and think that she's a nostalgia supper-club act who doesn't write songs. While I admire Vonda's work on that show, it's on her independent self-written albums that her magic is most potent. Chinatown is beautiful - wonderful, catchy (but never trite) songs, gorgeous singing and piano playing, and great production. I can't fault this album - I don't skip any of the tracks, and I feel like it takes me on a colourful, moving journey.

After the Ally McBeal nonsense, I was hoping Vonda would not give it up and return to writing her own brilliant personal compositions and voila, Chinatown hits a home run! It's beautiful, creative and eloquent. The overall production is terrific and clear - as usual you can easily pick out the various/variety of instruments she typically incorporates into her recordings which prevent things from ever getting stale(HEY VONDA WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET A LIVE CD, A LIVE DVD AND A SONGBOOK?). In summary, yes, Vonda is my personal favorite of the music I listen too. I've seen her 2X in concert and was knocked out by her performances. The true test of any recording artist is the live show. To me, Vonda remains one of the most underrated composers, singers, pianst' and talents in the industry. I compare her to James Taylor, Bruce Hornsby, etc. And I could listen to her sing all day long. She is not mainstream; perhaps her songs are too complex for the masses, but she endures, because, in the end, there is no substitute for talent.

I could listen to this cd all day long. And did today. It has a quality similiar to It's Good Eve. I have been audience to vonda for many, many years and it is reassuring to hear that she has remained true to her own beautiful style. Thanx Vonda!

I've been a fan of Vonda since I started watching Ally McBeal, and when I found out she was playing at the Palace Theatre in London, I was there in a shot, and let me tell you the songs on this album are amazing live. She's got a great stage presence and it's very obvious that she loves music, which makes all the difference for me, coupled with the fact that she wrote/co-wrote every song on this album. Very listenable, very catchy and very worth buying.

Not quite as good as By 7:30 and not nearly as good as It's Good, Eve. If you like Vonda's previous work, you'll find enough hear to enjoy, but it's not going to make anyone a fan. There are some catchy tunes, like "Rainy Days," but generally the lyrics are sub-par. And while I admire her for trying new things, songs like "My Whole World" and "Gyroscope" stray too far from her core piano-based ballads that I love so much.

I have been a fan of Vonda's for a few years now, and was very excited when I came across her new CD. In the store I used my "first three tracks" rule, which basically means that if it is an artist I already know and like I will listen to the first three tracks to see if they pass my listening test. Well, I was quite impressed with the first three, and being a fan I went ahead and purchased it. Once in the car however, I quickly grew disappointed after the third track. It was like she had this great spark of inspiration that then just sort of gradually fizzled out as the recording wears on, (and I do mean wear). Each time I go back to listen to this CD I keep thinking, why couldn't the whole CD be like the first three tracks. Vonda seems to have often been haunted by an uneveniness in her music that sometimes leaves me feeling frustrated. While I really like the first three tracks I would say that unless you are a die hard fan you should seek out other recordings by Vonda before buying this one.