Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas | 
| Artists: Vonda Shepard, Various Artists - Holidays
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.99
You Save: $4.99 (50%)
New (19) Used (13) from $3.21
Rating:  62 reviews
Sales Rank: 2618
Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.7 x 0.4
MPN: 85196
UPC: 696998519626
EAN: 0696998519626
ASIN: B000050HV4
Release Date: November 7, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: CD in original case. In original plastic wrap. Ships First Class in 1 to 2 days.
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| Tracks:
| • | This Christmas - Vonda Shepard, Hathaway, Donny | | • | The Man With the Bag (Everybody's Waitin' For) - Vonda Shepard, Brooks, Dudley | | • | Please Come Home for Christmas - Vonda Shepard, Redd, Gene | | • | Silver Bells - Vonda Shepard, Evans, Ray | | • | Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Vonda Shepard, Cahn, Sammy | | • | Winter Wonderland - Vonda Shepard, Bernard, Felix | | • | Run Rudolph Run - Vonda Shepard, Marks, Johnny | | • | Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney - Vonda Shepard, Hardy, William D. | | • | I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Vonda Shepard, Connor, Tommie | | • | Santa Baby - Vonda Shepard, Javits, Joan | | • | Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Vonda Shepard, Blane, Ralph | | • | River - Vonda Shepard, Mitchell, Joni | | • | White Christmas - Vonda Shepard, Berlin, Irving | | • | What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - Vonda Shepard, Loesser, Frank |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 57 more reviews...
 The best Christmas album to date! November 22, 2000
Miss L K Messenger (United Kingdom)
30 out of 31 found this review helpful
I hate Christmas albums. I very nearly never bought this. But in the end I gave in to fandom (and my wallet) and I'm glad I did. The CD is a new take on traditionally cheesey songs, with most of the Vonda Shephard stuff done as smooth jazz, Macy Gray's voice fitting perfectly with Winter Wonderland, and Robert Downey Jnr surprises everyone by his ability to sing. The contributions by the female cast members are also nice little additions, although I have to complain about Lisa Nicole Carson's all too brief offering. And where's Richard Fish singing 'I love you even more today (than yesterday)'?
 Christmas Cheer & Tears November 29, 2000
30 out of 30 found this review helpful
Four stars because the cd's too short. Give me more! I bought this because I'm an Ally fan and enjoy the music from the show. I enjoyed Vonda's vocals on her cuts, and thought Calista's song, "Santa Baby" was perfect for her Ally "I want, I want" character. Lisa Nicole Carson's song is much too short, she's got a powerhouse of a voice. Jane Krakowski's two songs are sung with tongue firmly in cheek and give the cd a light-hearted touch. However, the song that absolutely blew me away is Robert Downey Jr.'s take on a nearly 30-year-old Joni Mitchell song "River". If you saw the show where he sang it, it didn't do it justice. They should have let him sing the whole song (on the show). This bleak song is certainly no Jingle Bells. Adding to the poignancy of the song is RDJr.'s well-publicized troubles with the law. With his most recent arrest the song reads like it could be a page out of his journal. Perhaps he even wishes he could just "skate away" but if he did the world would be missing a most gifted and talented person. Hey Robert, are you listening? Get Well.
Downey's A Stand Out On Fun Xmas CD November 14, 2000
Brett Benner (Los Angeles, CA USA)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
What a fun Christmas CD! Like many people I've come back to the series this season after last year's more than disappointing outing. And like many people the reason I've watched was Robert Downey, Jr. After hearing his two tracks on this CD I can't wait to see the episodes! His version of "River" is great, his voice rich and throaty. Jane Krakowski is up to her Broadway standards with her fun versions of, "Run, Rudolph Run", and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."Diehard fans of the show will want the CD just for Vonda Shepard's soulful takes on the traditional holiday classics. My two bummers with the CD and the reason I didn't give it 5 stars was I (and I'm probably in the minority here) felt the Macy Gray track was so out of place.It sounds like Louis Armstrong, does Xmas. The second reason is at thirty seven minutes, the disc is way too short. There should be at least twenty more minutes of holiday cheer. Well, maybe I just didn't want it to end.
Laura November 18, 2000
25 out of 26 found this review helpful
So, maybe I was having a particulary emotional day, or maybe Christmas just does this to a person, but the first time I listened to Robert Downey Jr. sing "River" (OK, OK, I admit it! At Tower!) my eyes got all full and my throat ached and, of course, it was all over but the shoutin'. I feel vaguely uncomfortable that his real-life trials and tribulations contribute to the emotional punch of the song but it HAS been one of my favorite songs for years and he certainly does it justice. Can't wait to see the episode. Hope to see him sing it. (By the way, THANK YOU David Kelley for resucitating Ally after a fairly abysmal season! I'm so glad to be a fan again.)Anyway, the whole album is nice, with a good mix of up tempo stuff and more sentimental (in a good way) numbers. (Although I personally would have loved to hear more by RDJ.) I figured I would probably never admit to anyone that I bought it, but I think I'll take it for Thanksgiving and our annual 12 hour or so Christmas music marathon.
A Must for the Homesick November 8, 2000
Chrystiane (New Haven, CT USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I was a bit disappointed with the show last season, but the music is a continually pleasant, sweet nugget of nostalgia. This CD (finally!)gathers the best and worst of Christmas past (Santa Baby -- alright, a guilty pleasure) and hopefully future (is anyone else breathlessly awaiting the night when RDJ performs "River" after work?). Andrew Slater solidifies his place as one of my favorite producers with the Macy Gray "Winter Wonderland" (a can't-miss for Gray fans and possibly the best cut in the album). The rest of the cuts are more traditional standards and definitely gave me some much-needed early Christmas cheer.
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