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Vonda Shepard: Ally McBeal - A very Ally Christmas

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Epic Records
Released: 2000
Time:
 37:40
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Andrew Slater
Rating: *......... (1/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.vondashepardonline.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2000.12.24
Price in €: 14,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] This Christmas performed by Shepard, Vonda - 3:51
[2] Man With the Bag performed by Shepard, Vonda - 2:34
[3] Please Come Home for Christmas performed by Shepard, Vonda - 3:05
[4] Silver Bells performed by Shepard, Vonda - 1:42
[5] Let It Sonw, Let It Snow, Let It Snow performed by Shepard, Vonda - 2:14
[6] Winter Wonderland performed by Gray, Macy - 2:54
[7] Run Rudolph Run performed by Krakowski, Jane - 2:14
[8] Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney performed by Carson, Lisa Nicole - 1:26
[9] I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus performed by Krakowski, Jane - 2:29
[10] Santa Baby performed by Flockhart, Calista - 2:10
[11] Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas performed by Shepard, Vonda - 2:33
[12] River performed by Downey, Robert Jr. / Downey Jr., Robert - 4:07
[13] White Christmas performed by Downey, Robert Jr. / Shepard, Vonda / Downey Jr., Robert - 2:40
[14] What Are You Doing New Year's Eve performed by Shepard, Vonda - 3:25

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Vonda Shepard - Piano, Background Vocals
Jacqueline Brand - Violin
Matt Chamberlain - Drums
Stephen Erdody - Cello
Davey Faragher - Bass, Background Vocals
Jerry Hey - String Arrangements
Dan Higgins - Saxophone
Andrew Kamman - Percussion, Drums
Roland Kato - Viola
Neil Larsen - Hammond B3 Organ, Wurlitzer
Greg Leisz - Pedal Steel Guitar
Val McCallum - Acoustic Guitar, Guitar
Victoria Miskolszy - Viola
Katia Popov - Violin
Cecilia Tsan - Cello
Patrick Warren - Chamberlain
Bruce Watson - Guitar
Margaret Wooten - Violin
Jim Hanson - Bass
Greg Richling - Bass

Carmen Carter - Background Vocals
Lynn Davis - Background Vocals
Vatrina King - Background Vocals
Melanie Taylor - Background Vocals
Dawn Beckman - Background Vocals
Sy Smith - Background Vocals

Geoff Bywater - Music Supervisor
Robert Kraft - Music Supervisor
Jacquie Perryman - Music Coordinator
Carrol Farhat - Music Coordinator
John Paterno - Engineer, Mixing
Dave Way - Engineer, Mixing
Eddie DeLena - Engineer
Paul Dieter - Engineer
Chris Haynes - Assistant Engineer
Bryan Cook - Assistant Engineer
Billy Kinsley - Assistant Engineer
Jeff Moses - Assistant Engineer
Sebastian Haimerl - Assistant Engineer
Pamela Springsteen - Cover Photo
Julie Larson - Coordination

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


On the third installment of television series Ally McBeal soundtracks, Vonda Shepard and guests - Macy Gray and cast members Calista Flockhart, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jane Krakowski and Robert Downey Jr. - toast the Yuletide season with Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas Featuring Vonda Shepard. R&B, jazz, swing and blues treatments are added to such holiday favorites as "This Christmas," "The Man with the Bag," and "Silver Bells." But what shines through loud and clear on the set is Shepard's luscious voice. It doesn't really matter what the ingenue wraps her rich vocals around; Shepard has the ability to add a wistful sense to even the happiest songs. This is in evidence on the usually upbeat "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Shepard, backed by affecting strings and warm piano, sings both numbers with such emotion that even the most stoic person can't help but to be moved. The blues-flavored "Please Come Home for Christmas," with its soulful piano and longing vocals sung by Shepard, imagines a lonely man or woman listening to the song in the confines of an office or bedroom, much like the characters do on the popular television series. Cast member Jane Krakowski, who also takes singing turns on the show, serves up a rollicking-good rendition of "Run, Rudolph, Run"; this siren has an album in her just aching to be recorded. And Flockhart, backed by a sultry tenor saxophone, more than holds her own on a cutesy "Santa Baby." A real surprise turn on the set, however, comes by way of Ally actor Robert Downey Jr. who performs the Joni Mitchell classic "River." His voice resembles a less-raspy Joe Cocker, and has much substance and dynamic range as he masterfully hits the song's falsetto notes, falling into a whisper. The somber cello line that swims behind Downey's vocals caps off what is one of the album's most choice moments. A Very Ally Christmas Featuring Vonda Shepard offers a collection of holiday songs that are as warm as a fireplace on a cold winter's night. This set is sure to be a favorite at Holiday Office Party U.S.A. or right at home in living rooms with family and friends.

Liana Jonas - All Music Guide



Seit drei Jahren dominiert Ally McBeal die Fernsehprogramme - und wenn man mehr als zwanzig Millionen Fans hat, warum sollte man da nicht zur Weihnachtszeit ein Album herausbringen? Aber bleiben wir bei der Wahrheit: Dies ist in Wirklichkeit eine Platte von Vonda Shepard (sie ist Allys TV-Gesangsstimme) mit ein wenig Unterstützung des McBeal-Teams, zu dem auch Ally (geborene Calista Flockhart) gehört, die sich mit Erfolg an Eartha Kitts albernes, freches, verführerisches "Santa Baby" heranwagt. Mit 14 Tracks, wenn man das für Macy Gray typische "Winter Wonderland" hinzurechnet, bietet das Album eine Reihe von sehr unterschiedlichen Liedtypen, da Shepard & Co Hymnen und Weihnachtslieder übernehmen, die karg arrangiert wurden und gerade wegen ihrer gefühlsbetonten Einfachheit so ansprechend wirken. Shepards Talent als Sopranistin entfaltet sich hier in seiner ganzen, so reichen Vielfalt. Hier hört man eine Sängerin, die sich bei einer urwüchsigen Blues-Melodie wie "Please Come Home for Christmas" zu Hause fühlt, aber auch wenn sie zu der Melodie von "The Man with the Bag" fröhlich swingend den Broadway hinunterbummelt. Eine überraschende Zugabe liefern Shepards Duett mit Robert Downey Jr. bei "White Christmas" und Joni Mitchells "River". Empfehlenswert.

Martin Keller - Amazon.de



Ally McBeal has dominated television for three years, so why not a Christmas album for fans who number 20 million or more? Truth be told, this is really a Vonda Shepard record (she's Ally's TV singing voice), with a little help from the McBeal cast, including Ally (née Calista Flockhart), who successfully tries on Eartha Kitt's silly, sassy, seductive "Santa Baby." With 14 tracks and Macy Gray's distinctive "Winter Wonderland" included, the album covers lots of turf, as Shepard and company cover hymns and carols that are sparsely arranged and appealing for their soulful simplicity. Shepard's soprano talent continues to reveal its many riches. Here's a singer who's at home in a gut-bucket blues tune such as "Please Come Home for Christmas" and strolling down Broadway, joyfully swinging on "The Man with the Bag." Additional surprises include Shepard's duet with Robert Downey Jr. on "White Christmas" and Joni Mitchell's "River." Recommended.

Martin Keller - Amazon.com



The only thing possibly worse than hearing Vonda Shepard butcher soul and R&B classics each week on Ally McBeal is having to listen to her put her faux-bluesy spin on the holiday tunes that make up A Very Ally Christmas. In Shepard's hands, even the most beloved Christmas carols such as "Silver Bells" and "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" become almost unbearably flat exercises in cheesy easy listening. The only twinkling light in this tangled mess is her traditional, syrupy rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which is actually quite lovely. The actors from the show fare considerably better. Lisa Nicole Carson's innuendo-loaded "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" is a one-and-a-half-minute come-on appropriate to her sexpot character on the series, while Jane Krakowski does a spirited, though cloying cover of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Calista Flockhart gives "Santa Baby" an entertaining, super-girly delivery reminiscent of the breathy, saucy treatments the song has received from Eartha Kitt and, more recently, Madonna. And, finally, Robert Downey Jr. lends heavy-hearted, '70s-style classic rock vocals to Joni Mitchell's exquisite, mournful ballad "River," rounding out the roster of cast members who've stepped up to the mike for this relatively uninspired holiday collection.

Michelle Kleinsak, December 4, 2000
CDNOW Contributing Writer
 

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