Ally McBeal Christmas

<PRE><br> Ally McBeal A Very Ally Christmas Featuring Vonda Shepard Few series in recent television history have achieved the critical acclaim and popular appeal of Ally McBeal. With an audience of nearly 20 million people per week, the Fox Network show has been one of the shining stars of television’s programming season for the last three years, and is about to begin its fourth hit year with a new co-star, Robert Downey Jr. The voice and music of Vonda Shepard have been an integral part of Ally McBeal from the show’s inception. She is featured in weekly appearances as the singer/pianist in the downstairs bar frequented by Ally and her law firm co-workers. Shepard’s soulful soprano voice delivers the lyrics of her carefully chosen songs, the themes of which usually relate to the emotional state of the show’s title character played by Calista Flockhart. In addition to being the singer on the show, Vonda also produces much of the music. Last season, along with her music segments, Vonda produced 19 incredible guest artists including legends Al Green, Gladys Knight, Jennifer Holiday, Bobby Womack and Randy Newman. "Working with all these great performers is a labor of love for me," says Shepard. As the musical voice of Ally McBeal, Vonda Shepard has been the focal point of two highly successful albums inspired by the series. Songs From Ally McBeal (released May 1998) has sold over 1.5 million copies in the US alone, with an additional 2.5 million sold internationally; Heart and Soul: New Songs from Ally McBeal (released November 1999, with guest vocalists Al Green and the Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers) sold an additional 1.5 million copies worldwide. Today, the two Ally McBeal volumes still sell more than 2,500 copies per week, while Vonda Shepard’s own four solo albums have accumulated combined sales of more than 500,000. The collective success of these recordings has set the stage for Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas Featuring Vonda Shepard — a beautifully crafted set of holiday songs, sure to be welcomed by fans of both the series and the singer. At the heart of A Very Ally Christmas are seven new Vonda Shepard performances of Christmas classics, beginning with the album opener "This Christmas," co-written and originally recorded by Donnie Hathaway. Right from the opening measures of Vonda’s voice and piano, it’s a performance of uncommon warmth and gracefulness. The Christmas mood turns celebratory on "The Man With The Bag," as Shepard locks into a solid swing groove propelled by trumpeter Jerry Hey’s vibrant horn charts. "Please Come Home For Christmas" is a nicely understated version of the urbane blues favorite popularized by Charles Brown circa 1960. "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" slows the tempo of this Sammy Cahn/Julie Styne composition as Jerry Hey’s string arrangement spreads winter warmth around Vonda’s tender, wistful lead vocal. In addition to the Vonda Shepard tracks, A Very Ally Christmas presents Ally McBeal herself, series star Calista Flockhart, singing a new version of the sly and sexy Eartha Kitt favorite "Santa Baby." Also appearing are three of her series co-stars. Jane Krakowski (Elaine Vassal in the series) proffers a pair of high-spirited numbers: "Run, Rudolph, Run," sparked by some potent Chuck Berry licks from guitarist Bruce Watson; and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," best known in the Ronettes’ 1963 version produced by Phil Spector. Lisa Nicole Carson, who plays the character of Renee Radick on Ally McBeal, serves up some good-natured Christmas soul power on "Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney." New Ally McBeal co-star Robert Downey Jr. duets with Vonda Shepard on Irving Berlin’s perennial "White Christmas," and takes a surprisingly effective solo turn on the Joni Mitchell classic "River," framed by an immaculate Jerry Hey string arrangement. Finally, Grammy-nominated superstar Macy Gray turns in a unique treatment of "Winter Wonderland," previously released only on a now-rare promotional CD. This year, the holiday spirit will burn a little bit brighter, thanks to the warm and joyful music of Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas Featuring Vonda Shepard. </PRE>  <HR align='center' width='50%'> <B>Your browser does not support frames!</B><BR><BR> Some of the features on this site require a frames-capable browser, since much of the functionality would be impossible without frames. 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