Songs From Ally McBeal Featuring Vonda Shepard

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineFor 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 Shepard was suddenly in demand. Since none of her albums were easily available, it was smart business to make her first album for her new label 550 Music a collection of original tunes and covers she regularly performed in the show -- in other words, Songs from Ally McBeal. Only four of the songs, including the theme "Searchin' My Soul," are original Shepard numbers; the rest are smooth adult contemporary covers of '60s pop hits like "The End of the World," "Hooked on a Feeling," and "It's in His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)." Some longtime fans may be distressed that the album only contains a handful of originals, but the preponderance of covers makes for a consistently enjoyable record that should be quite pleasing to Ally McBeal fans.