Customer Reviews

Heart And Soul: New Songs From Ally McBeal Featuring Vonda Shepard (Television Series)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Though not as overly catchy as the first "Ally McBeal" soundtrack, which boasted superb remakes of "Walk Away Renee," "You Belong to Me," and "Tell Him" (the latter of which proved to be a fan favorite at Vonda concerts), "Heart and Soul: New Songs from Ally McBeal" proves to be another pleasant listening experience. Remakes of the Supremes' "Someday We'll Be Together" and Don McLean's "Vincent" are standouts, and a remake of Lulu's "To Sir With Love" (here, a duet with Al Green) is worth the price of admission all on its own. Another bonus is a complete reworking of "100 Tears Away," a song from Vonda's 1991 sophomore release. Unfortunately a couple of really great covers made for the show were overlooked (the Pointer Sisters' "Fire" and Carly Simon's "Anticipation") and three songs from Vonda's last release, "By 7:30" is a bit much for fans who already own that work. Still, after she spent years recording and performing great music to little acclaim or attention, it's great to see Vonda Shepard still riding the crest of her much-deserved popularity.

I go way back with Vonda Shepard, and I started watching "Ally" when I read an early piece that talked about her music and the old pop standards favored by David Kelly. "Heart & Soul" was fine, and the 3rd CD is just starting to grow on me (Sting & Al Green on the same CD? How could it fail?). But this is my favorite and the only one I rate a 5. The "soul" of the pieces drills through the whole effort, with the key songs being "Crying" (better than Don McLean, not quite up to Roy Orbison's falsetto) and a new effort, "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow" with heartbreaking harmony between Vonda and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls. Woven together well, a collection of old songs made new by Shepard, with her lush voice and excellent song backdrops. Great CD for a long trip!

Fans of Motown - particularly The Supremes - run, don't walk to buy this album. Vonda's version of "Someday We'll Be Together" totally ROCKS! You won't be disappointed.

My first impression to this second album of songs from Ally McBeal was pretty much the same as it has been to the series this last season: the first go around was much better. Now that I have listened to "Heart and Soul" a few more times I still think Vonda Shepard's first collection was a better album, but this one is a close second. And, to be fair, I can certainly saw the same thing about the past season: not as good as the first two years but still an above average program. One thing is for sure, there is definitely much more soul than pop this time around.

As with the first album I like Shepard's cover of classic songs. In particular I am surprised that her duet with Al Green of "To Sir, With Love" has grown on me. I have always liked the song as a duet since Natalie Merchant and Michael Stipe did it at the MTV Inaugural Ball back in 1993 (I lucked out finding the CD single that has the song), but the soul version by Green and Shepard is infectious. It is interesting to hear Roy Orbison's "Crying" in a much lower key than the original. Her "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)" is not all that removed from the original, although the cello playing is a nice touch. That particular cut, more than any other on the album, reminds you that the true impact of these songs is on the show when they pop in the context of the episode. (There is a footnote in the liner notes that talks specifically about lyric alterations being "specific to David E. Kelly's vision of the show").

Looking at the list of songs it is obvious that the reason this album is not as upbeat as the first is because the series has been on such a downer lately, what with Billy dying and the wreck and ruin of everyone's love life. Given that it is no wonder we end up with "100 Tears Away," "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted," "World Without Love," etc. Even "Someday We'll Be Together" has a bittersweet element, which is no doubt the reason it was picked in the first place. However, there is much more variety in terms of the musical stylings on this album that the first effort.

There are more original songs this time around. Of these, "Baby, Don't You Break My Heart Slow," a duet with Emily Sailers of the Indigo Girls, is the best effort. "This Is Crazy Now" is also a nice song and it is interesting to note that her original efforts are such simple tunes in contrast to the more frenetic cover songs. If I stumble on one of her pre-McBeal efforts I will have to see how much of an effect working on this show has had on her as a songwriter.

Final note. The photo on the back of the notes is better than the cover shot on this album, as it includes not only Vonda Shepard but a very nice curly-haired waif shot of Calista Flockheart.

Whether the songs are covers, or original Vonda material is not important. What is important is that this lady is the most soulful female singer to come around in years. While little girls like Britney Spears dominate popular music charts,this WOMAN belts out songs from depths that Ms. Spears and her clones don't even know exist. Not since Linda Ronstadt in her prime have I been this taken by a female voice. (Note: Linda did a lot of cover material as well) Thank God for David Kelly and his Ally McBeal, because without them, Vonda might be another talented artist performing in obscurity because they doesn't fit the mold that record company executives think sell albums.

Hi, about a week after I first litened to this album, Vonda came to Ireland and I just HAD to see her. I've had the first Ally CD for about a year and listen to it all the time. After seeing her live, however, I completely idolise this woman. This CD is wonderful. Her vocals are stunning, the backing music funky, and the songs inspiring. This is an album for people like me who love to crank it up real loud and sing along at the top of my voice. You get such a kick out of soulful songs like "Sweet Inspiration" and "To Sir With Love", and there are few single people who can't identify with the beautifully simple and heartfelt "I Know Him By Heart". I hope she soons comes out of the Ally McBeal shadow and is recognised for her own wowing talent.

The New Songs from Ally Mcbeal are top-notch. Not only do we hear soulful oldies we know and love but we feel them too. Vonda Sheperd is back along with Al Green and Emily Saliers from the Indigo Girls to make a more powerful and more livelier soundtrack than volume 1. The music and vocals are so upbeat, it feels as if we are right in that bar from the Ally Mcbeal show where Ms. Sheperd and her trio perform. Especially excellent is Starry Night, Crying, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted and This Old Heart of Mine. Please, let there be a volume 3.

This is, without question, the greatest compilation of songs from David E. Kelley's "Ally Mcbeal". Songs taken from the third season, a pivotal season because Billy (played by Gil Bellows) dies of a heartattack. It is a time of great heartache and crisis in Ally Mcbeal's life. The romantic disillusion and overwhelming sadness truly makes quality music. Perhaps a lot of music listeners dislike sentimentality, and melancholia, but a lot of great songs in the twentieth century have been tinged with sorrow- Motown made various songs of heartbreak, Dan Mclean, Roy Orbison and various other artists. Grief and sorrow is a part of human nature and real life.

Ally Mcbeal's melancholia seems most poignant in the song "100 Tears Away" but perhaps most powerful in "Crying." These classic songs of woe are sung impressively by the very talented Vonda Shepard. Don Mclean's "Starry Night" is genuinely moving. All the songs are Vonda Shepard renditions, with a few ensemble help. But the sad magic of the show comes alive, making a vivid, lasting impression. This cd was a great way for myself to purge in my own sorrow- my heart was broken in an unsuccessful romantic relationship. Perfect for indulging in sadness (but only to overcome the sadness) are the songs "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted", "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow" "This Is Crazy Now" and "I Know Him By Heart.".

I'm always impressed by Vonda Shepard's music selections on Ally McBeal. She does a good job picking the appropriate song and then either covering it to fit the mood (as in Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life") or playing the original. This album has a nice mix of competent covers that you can sing along with on the first listen and original Shepard songs that you fake the words to because they're so catchy. I thought that the two winning tracks on this album were "100 Tears Away" and "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow", both originals by Shepard. Emily Saliers sings with Shepard on "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow" and is fantastic! I love the Indigo Girls and Saliers' folk style blends surprisingly well with Shepard's slicker voice. This album is a lot of fun to listen to all the way through because there are no tracks that seem out of place or of lesser quality. It doesn't get five stars because, as other reviewers have pointed out, there are too many covers. While Shepard sings them well - a rarity in cover song land - she doesn't do anything really innovative with them. If you're looking for a five star album filled with covers, try Annie Lennox's "Medusa".

The songs from this album are more about Ally's mood than about her moments cause the songs works without the show. You can recognize that's all about her feelings and you can feel the same. In Read Your Mind you can fell hope, hapiness, and in Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow you fell her fear and courage about love things. Ally's mood are present in all songs, and Vonda is awesome, her own songs or covers are just perfect! Its really about Ally's Heart and Soul and also about ours.