Ally McBeal: For Once in My Life Featuring Vonda Shepard [SOUNDTRACK]

Various Artists - Soundtracks - Television, Ally McBeal TV Series Soundtracks

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Original Release Date: September 8, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005B2VB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #92,869 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

• This is item 3 in The Ally McBeal TV Soundtrack Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
On this third installment of the Ally McBeal soundtracks series, featured performer Vonda Shepard delivers another solid collection of emotive blues- and country-inflected power ballads. The surprises here are the three tracks sung by the TV show's guest thespian Robert Downey Jr. If this soundtrack was intended to be a star vehicle, it's a jalopy. Downey's contrived rasp, hardened vocals, and awkward phrasing fail to impress (proving that the elongating line of talented actors with musical aspirations should confine their singing fantasies to the shower). On his dumbed-down duet with Sting on the Police classic "Every Breath You Take," Downey sounds like he's straining to emulate Sting, and Sting approaches the song as a walk-through. Fortunately, Barry White's mirror-ball hit "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" and Tina Turner's anthemic "When the Heartache Is Over" provide some much-needed uptempo relief from the album's sluggish middle section. The collection heads home with Shepard and label newbie Anastacia covering Gary Wright's "Love Is Alive" in dance-floor-lite funk (although it suffers the unfortunate coincidence of being released in proximity to Joan Osborne's superior rendition from One Night at McCool's). The CD closes with Shepard's well-orchestrated interpretation of Todd Rundgren's "Can We Still Be Friends," and Ally McBeal fans, despite the Downey debacle, should be able to answer affirmatively with little hesitation. --Beth Massa

Product Description
Australian Version Includes Bonus Tracks of Chayanne and Tom Jones. The Ultimate Ally Mcbeal Collection also Includes Nine Vonda Solo Tracks, Barry White, Al Green, Tina Turner, plus Vonda Duets with Robert Downey Jr, Sting and Anastasia. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Listening, May 3, 2001

By	BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I have enjoyed this CD so many times in the week since I bought it--it is so evocative of the overall feeling of "Ally McBeal". Robert Downey Jr's contributions make it very nostalgic in light of his subsequent problems.

I really like Vonda Shepard's soothing and polished voice, but have no problem with the addition of other singers - Al Green, Tina Turner, Anastacia, Barry White, and Downey - they only enhance her contributions.

I also liked the wide selection of songs on this CD---a nice variety of music and voices, well-balanced choices.

Shepard's duet "Chances Are" with Downey is so natural and unforced.....it is as if he just walked up to a mike and started singing with her. The Downey-Sting duet of "Every Breath You Take" is so well-blended that it is hard to tell where one voice leaves off and the other begins.

Good listening that will not disappoint.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For once in MY life..., May 2, 2001

By	Olivia Tomasulo (Clarence, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Every once in a long while, I come across a CD on which every song is good. I am a music fan in every sense of the word; I buy albums constantly just to see what they're like. Sometimes, I'm pleasantly surprised. "For Once in My Life" is just one of those really good CDs. Although I really do like every song, I'm most partial to tracks 3-7. Vonda Shepard is a wonderful singer and her soulful rendition of the Bob Dylan classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" really does the original justice. I was considerably happy when my mother, a hard-core Dylan fan, was speechless after hearing Shepard's cover. The other covers on the album, such as "Chances Are" by Bob Seger (performed by Shepard and Robert Downey, Jr.) and "Every Breath You Take" by Sting (performed by Sting and Downey Jr. and featured on one of the most romantic series episodes ever on television) were lovely. "Chances Are" is a beautiful song, and Shepard and Downey Jr. brought it alive. The Sting/Downey Jr. duet left me "breath"-less. It is truly one of the most endearing songs of our time, a song which has been remade constantly but never loses its heart. Track 6, the original Shepard song "You and Me" is completely infectious and a very pleasant love song. Shepard's ability to make a simple love song play over in your head is really amazing. "You and Me" is deeper than some bubbly love ballad - its lyrics are very poetic and describe the emotions of feeling alone even in the company of others. Track 7, my personal favorite, is a song called "Snakes," written and performed by Robert Downey, Jr. Despite his personal troubles, Downey really is a true entertainer, gifted in music as well as the dramatic arts. "Snakes" is the best song I've heard in a while, mysterious and completely profound. I just can't seem to stop playing it! Downey's voice is distinctly smoky and almost shy, in a way, as if he wants to tell you something but is afraid of revealing too much. I'm just sorry that I don't know what he's saying, but the lyrics I've figured out so far are simple but unsettlingly beautiful. The album also features such motown classics as "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green, "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" by Barry White, and "When the Heartache is Over" by Tina Turner. For once in MY life, I've come across a great CD. If soulful love songs appeal to you, "For Once In My Life" is a must have. I don't think I'll ever be able to turn it off.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another CD with ally mcbeal greatest hits!, April 25, 2001

By	Rodrigo Medina (Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil) - See all my reviews

This is the fourth CD of ally mcbeal, and it surely brings the best songs of the show, so far. Keeping the tradition of 3 excellent CDs previously released, "For once in my life" is a celebration of good songs and covers, from various artists. The great surprise in this CD is the collaboration of Robert Downey Jr, who has revelead himself as a good singer since the ally's christmas album. In this CD, he performs "Snake", written by him, "Chances are", in an emotional duet with vonda shepard and a very cool version of "every breath you take" featuring sting, who was a guest in the TV show. Besides that, you can find the wonderful vonda shepard in different tracks. In this collection, the producers finally included 2 of the most significant tunes from ally mc beal: "my first, my last, my everything" (Barry white)--for those "sexy" moments in richard fish's life-- and "how can you mend a broken heart" (Al green)- for those times when ally feels down and lonely. At last, this CD brings "when the heartache is over", a dance and melodic song performed by tina turner (also a guest in ally mcbeal).Despite the fact that I'm a huge fan of the show, I recommend this CD for those who appreciate good vocals and soft listening.