The song is Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man from the musical Showboat. The contenders are two very famous ladies that I think will make it a tight contest.
First up is Billie Holiday:
Or maybe you prefer Ella Fitzgerald:
Please vote for the version of this song you prefer. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!
For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:
- Far Away Series
- Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
- Tossing it Out
- DiscConnected (temporarily disconnected from BoTB)
- Mike's Ramblings
- Curious as a Cathy
- Book Lover
- The Sound of One Hand Typing
- dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands
- Cherdo on the Flipside
- Angels Bark
- THE DOGLADY'S DEN
- Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Janie Junebug Righting and Editing
- NovelBrews
- J.A. Scott
- Quiet Laughter
- Holli's Hoots and Hollers
- beReInVintaged
Tough, as both ladies have amazing voices. Not much of a jazz fan, but I do like the more upbeat version of Billie's.
ReplyDeleteGreat song by two legendary singers. Ella was a great vocalist, but for this song I much prefer Billie Holiday's version. Ella's version dragged out too much. I liked the instrumental arrangement on the Holiday version with faster pace. The band prelude was mighty fine and then I liked how they finished the recording off. Billie's vocal is sultry with a touch of swing to it.
ReplyDeleteMy vote for Billie Holiday.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
I think I'll go for Billie too.
ReplyDeleteInteresting battle, with two completely different styles! I had to listen twice to make up my mind and chose Ella's version. It was slower and more sensual.
ReplyDeleteI put Ella and Billie up against each other a while back and Billie trounced Ella. In fact, Ella gets beat anytime she competes in one of my Battles, and I can't understand why. She's a tremendous singer, and while Lady Day does a good job on this, I'm giving this one to the elegant Ms. Fitzgerald.
ReplyDeleteBillie Holiday gets my vote - that woman put her heart into her singing and I've read her biography, her voice will always beat anyone else in the same genre. I like Ella, but I like the younger Ella better. Ella appealed to a lot of people who didn't like blues that much. Billie is the 'Lady (who) sings the Blues' to me.
ReplyDeleteGIRL WONDER ~
ReplyDeleteElla Fitzgerald had a phenomenal voice - so clear, so pure. But... Billie Holiday is one of my very, very favorite female vocalists. I've protly told you this before, but in my one and only screenplay, Billie figured prominently as the hero of my female protagonist.
Both of these recordings were excellent. But I'm voting Billie because I liked the instrumentation better (wasn't that great?!) and there was such an intimacy in Billie's voice that she always seems to be singing just for me.
"Give me a pigfoot and a bottle of beer!..."
(A fantabulous Billie Holiday barroom song that I always think of whenever she gets mentioned.)
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
I am giving this to Billie because this is a song of heartbreak and she has it down in spades. I love Ella but found it dragged a bit and was sung like she was shooing more than hurting so Billie gets my vote
ReplyDeleteWow, this is tough. I like the faster pace of Billie Holliday's version and the instrumentals are fabulous. I like Ella's voice better. Ah, decisions, decisions...
ReplyDeleteI'm going to give it to Billie because I think I would prefer to listen to that one more.
Great battle!
Michele at Angels Bark
Yes, very very tough... Robin, I'm beginning to get the impression you enjoy torturing your audience, don't you. Sheesh... :D Normally I'd vote for Billie over Ella any day, but I've surprised myself this time. Yes, I'm going with Ella. There's something about the smoothness of her voice that lifts this song into the divine.
ReplyDeleteGreat, great battle!
Guilie @ Quiet Laughter
That was a really tough choice. I'll go with Ella Fitzgerald's.
ReplyDeleteDamn, what a battle! This was awesome. I loved both immensely. Both have killer voices. Ultimately, like Stephen, I prefer the instrumentation of Billie's, so I'll have to give my vote to her. Now then, to attack that repeat button...
ReplyDeleteRobin - wham! I really thought I was going for Billie butt it didn't happen. Second play of both and I knew I wanted that slow, sultriness in Ella's voice and the backup musicians.
ReplyDeleteElla Fitzgerald, even if I'm in the minority!
Although Ella is one of the great, that song is too engrained in me for anyone but Billie. I vote for Billie.
ReplyDeleteI just can't get enough of Ella. Please give her my vote.
ReplyDeleteMary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Tough one for me-love both versions.
ReplyDeleteBut my mother loved Ella, and so Ella makes me think of Ma, and how can I vote against Ma? In fact, how can any of you vote against Ma.
I suggest you close voting right now and call it unanimous for Ella.
OK, maybe not. Well mark me down for Ella. I miss you, Ma!
Larry
You and Janie both have impossible ones this round! I'm trying, but I just can't choose between them.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the Ella Fitzgerald version! I love Billie too, but not for this song, Ella wins hands down, well, in my opinion! LOL
ReplyDeleteGreat battle!
Okay, I'm losing my mind because I swore I left a comment and I stopped back to see if there was a reply...the mind is a terrible thing to waste...
ReplyDeleteElla is my go-to for she-scat (scoobadoobally dooooo) and I can't say anything against her...it just wouldn't be right.
But Billie takes the vote on this one. Love her delivery; soulful. Always seems like there is a backstory; she connects with the heart of the song and it shows.
GREAT battle!
Okay, I'm losing my mind because I swore I left a comment and I stopped back to see if there was a reply...the mind is a terrible thing to waste...
ReplyDeleteElla is my go-to for she-scat (scoobadoobally dooooo) and I can't say anything against her...it just wouldn't be right.
But Billie takes the vote on this one. Love her delivery; soulful. Always seems like there is a backstory; she connects with the heart of the song and it shows.
GREAT battle!
My vote is for Bob Dylon....
ReplyDeleteOoops, wrong battle.
This is a tough choice. But I have to say, I've always loved Ella Fitzgerald's voice more. So she's getting my vote on this one.
Excellent battle. I love the song.
Showboat was my mother's favorite musical, so I'm very familiar with the tunes. I love the instrumentation in the Billie Holiday version. It was so delicious and long, I almost didn't care if she ever started singing, but when she did WOW!
ReplyDeleteIt's rare for me to vote against Ella, but in this case Billie takes it away.
I thought for sure I was going to vote for Billie Holiday. After listening, my vote goes to Fitzgerald.
ReplyDeleteElla Fitzgerald's voice is lovely, but no one beats the smoky voice of Lady Day.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Why does everyone pit Ella and Billie together? Always? To me, it is hard to choose because they both sound too exactly alike. They even look alike. Are we sure these are two different women?
ReplyDeleteI'm going with Ella this time. She has a little bit smoother quality to her voice.
Catching up on some blog reading today. Glad I stopped by here today. :) Love both these women, and this is really hard to decide but I love the voice of Billie Holiday
ReplyDeleteHmmm, both beautiful voices. Very hard to pick which one I like better. I think Billie Holiday but only by a hair.
ReplyDeleteI think I have to go with Ella's version :)
ReplyDelete