Teamed professionally and personally with producer/keyboard whiz Mitchell Froom, Shepard makes a strong post-{#Ally McBeal} statement on Chinatown. The arrangements vary, from one solo track through mixtures of strings and a rhythm section and on to a flirtation with electronic exotica on "Gyroscope," yet the feel doesn't change too much: Her relatively narrow vocal range and fondness for using cloudy weather as a lyrical device shroud the album in a fine mist. (Titles like {&"Rainy Days,"   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

For years, Vonda Shepard toiled in semi-obscurity, releasing two albums to a small cult audience. One of her fans happened to be David Kelley, a television producer of such hit television shows as {#L.A. Law}, {#Picket Fences}, and {#Chicago Hope}. When he was creating {#Ally McBeal}, an urban dramedy about an appealingly spunky and confused 20-something lawyer, he decided to have Ally's misadventures mirrored in songs by none other than Vonda Shepard. {#Ally McBeal} became an unexpected hit and   [ read more ]

CD $7.59

When Fox TV canceled {#Ally McBeal} in 2002 and the comedy/drama's star Calista Flockhart moved on to other activities, there was some joking about Vonda Shepard in the music business. Most of the jokes were along these lines: "Oops! What is Vonda McBeal -- I mean Vonda Shepard -- going to do now? Go to law school, perhaps?" (Flockhart's Ally McBeal character was a lawyer). But those jokes were somewhat unfair. It's true that Shepard milked {#Ally McBeal} for all it was worth; she co   [ read more ]

CD $15.18