On this third installment of the Ally McBeal soundtracks series, featured performer Vonda Shepard delivers another solid collection of emotive blues- and country-inflected power ballads. The surprises here are the three tracks sung by the TV show's guest thespian Robert Downey Jr. If this soundtrack was intended to be a star vehicle, it's a jalopy. Downey's contrived rasp, hardened vocals, and awkward phrasing fail to impress (proving that the elongating line of talented actors with musical aspirations should confine their singing fantasies to the shower).
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