1.) First, I'm sorry I have been away for awhile. I was dealing with a few things which were seriously depressing me. I believe I finally have thing under control (for the most part) so I shall pick up where I last left off. I was feeling so out of it, I couldn't bring myself to visit my online colleagues, much less post to my own blog. But I'm back. Please note, even still, I shall be adjusting my blogging schedule. More on that later.
B.) There is no hidden message to my song selection for the day. Though I had initially though on doing so with other songs floating through my head. But that is not to say, there isn't a reason why I have selected this battle. Which brings us to.....
III.) Over the course of my next three BOTB, I have a hidden theme. Will anyone be able to figure it out before the third battle results? There is the hook. And to be really mean, I'm not even going to give any clues this battle. Hello my old friend, the sound of silence is all you will know from me. Muaahaaaha. However, starting in the results of this battle, I shall begin to drop hints. (Or maybe I'm lying and I've already started dropping hints).
Back to the Battle: As you may have deduced already. The song for today is Bring Me to Life and I have found some dramatic covers of the song, almost as interesting as the original Evanescence version.
For reference only: Evanescence - Bring Me To Life
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
The two musical contenders for this Battle of the Bands are below.
Please listen to both and tell me who you like best.
Chris Daughtry
Katherine Jenkins
Those are the two contenders. Ignoring the actual videos, who do you think performs the song best? I collected the two bands to battle it out, now it's your job to vote on your favourite. Please list your preferred song choice in the comments. Additionally, let me know why you feel the way you do. Voting ends on the 8th when I'll cast my vote (if needed) and announce the winner in a separate posting.
Additional Questions:
Have you ever felt so stressed, you had no motivation to do anything?Will you forgive me for being gone so long without a word?
Are you good at puzzles?
Please note:
Starting in December, I will be changing my BOTB posts. In order to get more writing done, I will only be producing one battle a month, the second battle. The first of the month I will be devoting to my R.a.n.t. series and working on YA series.
If you enjoyed this Battle of the Bands feature, don't forget to visit the other participants in the Battle of the Band to see what sort of music they are featuring. You will certainly be entertained, so click on their links below.
FAR AWAY SERIES
STMcC PRESENTS 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
TOSSING IT OUT
JANIE JUNEBUG RIGHTING AND EDITING
YOUR DAILY DOSE
MIKE'S RAMBLINGS
CURIOUS AS A CATHY
DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS
THE DOGLADY'S DEN
CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE
ANGELS BARK
QUIET LAUGHTER
BE_REINVINTAGED
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING
JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE
eViL pOp TaRt
HOLLI'S HOOTS AND HOLLERS
Are you currently in the BOTB and don't see your name in the list above? Let me know in comments and I'll include it.
Sorry to hear about the state you have been in. I think a lot of people have been experiencing something similar as I see a drop in blogging activity. Really glad to see you back again.
ReplyDeleteA theme you say? I've also announced a theme for my next three battles which will be related to the U.S. presidential race. Maybe your theme is also connected to that? Or maybe Halloween since that's coming up in about 4 weeks?
I used this song in March 2015 because I really like this song a lot. Glad to see it returning. I used the Katherine Jenkins version as well and she ended up in a tie with a Gregorian Chant version. Katherine does a great version, but I voted for the Chant version.
In the case of your battle I really like Daughtry, but the outcome of the race for me is a squeaker. I'm going give the opera singer an edge though.
I cast my vote for Katherine Jenkins.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
You are right. As I poked around the blogsphere the past few days, there does seem to be a decline in blogging. Glad to see you thinking about my theme. At the very least, the guessing should keep people inquisitive about my next entry. ;)
DeleteI did remember this song being used once, I couldn't remember who used it or which artists. I'm glad to see it wasn't a complete knock-off of yours.
Thanks for the Jenkins vote.
Hi, Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteThis is my third BOTB vote of the day and another very difficult decision. Both of your selections are superb, the kind of music you would find in my personal collection.
I have appreciated the work of Daughtry for many years but never heard of Welsh warbler Katherine Jenkins. Ordinarily I would vote for the female vocalist in a close battle against a male vocalist, but in this case I am going to break with tradition. Daughtry's version of the song is simple yet powerful. Katherine Jenkins is drop dead gorgeous (your new dream girl replacing Diana Krall?) and her version bears similarities to the original by the female led gothic power metal band Evanescence but, in the end, Katherine's recording strikes me as a little too operatic and grandiose. It simply doesn't work quite as well as Daughtry's version.
Give my vote to Chris Daughtry!
I'm sorry you have been stressed and depressed, good buddy. It happens to all of us from time to time, including me. As long as you want it you can count on my friendship and support.
Have a great weekend, Jeffrey!
Glad to see I've made the choice difficult for some. I think that's kind of what this is all about. As for Jenkins replacing Diana Krall, um, no. How can you even think that? I'm not fickle when it comes to Diana. She's still number one.
DeleteI really appreciate you stopping by. I shall continue to count on you.
Thanks for the Daughtry vote.
Hey Jeffrey, so sorry you are going through some struggles. I think it happens to us all once in a while, some more severe than others. I've been fortunate that my lows have never been so low that I felt the need to be brought back to life. Sending you lots of positive thoughts!
ReplyDeleteAs for the battle, I was going to vote for Katherine but then I listened to Daughtry again and he seems to sing the song as if he really needs to be brought back. I don't get that feeling from Ms. Jenkins. Also interestingly, I don't like Evanescence!
I can't quite guess what your problem is yet, but I hope that by playing this guessing game, it helps you work through it!
I really appreciate your concern. Thanks for stopping over. We shall see how well the guessing game helps me out. Essentially, I like to play games and have fun when I run my music battles.
DeleteThanks for the Daughtry vote.
Sorry about the struggles.
ReplyDeleteDaughtry. He might've done better getting a woman to join him, but his version is unique. Plus he has a cool voice.
And yes, I'm good at puzzles. Both the thousand piece kind and the mind kind.
Perhaps if Daughtry and Jenkins had teamed up, can you imagine that kind of a song? I think they are both impressive. Have fun trying to figure this puzzle out. I'm worried no one will figure it out.
DeleteThanks for the Daughtry vote.
Bring me to life, Dr. Frankenstein. I'm not a Chris Daughtry fan, but on this one, I'll vote for him. Motivation is a never ending struggle for me. There's nothing to forgive. You do what you can do. I am definitely not good at puzzles, not even crossword puzzles. I'm sorry you've been so down, but I'm glad to see you here when you can make it.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Motivation is a real struggle for me to. In fact I'd tell you more abut that, but I'm not feeling very motivated to do so at the moment.
DeleteThanks for the Daughtry vote
OH boy! This is a good battle! On one hand, I really like what Daughtry does with the song, but on the other hand I have always loved the haunting high notes that Katherine was able to showcase in the song. Do I go for the rocker, or do I go for the one that stayed pretty true to the original? Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteWell, it *IS* Rocktober this month, so I think I'm going to give my vote to Daughtry. But know that it was a tough decision and if the wind were to blow a different direction tomorrow I might vote differently then. Glad to have you back. Missed having you around!
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Oh yea, Rocktober, I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding.
DeleteGlad to be back.
Thanks for the Daughtry vote, even if it was a hard one to make.
Daughtry gets my vote, they rocked the song a bit more. Glad to see you back in the Battles!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to be back too.
DeleteThanks for the Daughtry vote.
Hi Jeffrey - I'm sorry you've been struggling and may those clouds lift further for you ... take care and all the best with the Battling Bands - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteAs always, thanks for stopping by and the kind words.
DeleteWelcome back, JEFFY.
ReplyDeleteI have just one word about Daughtry's performance: annoying, annoying, annoying! (That was one word. I just repeated it three times, that's all.)
Seriously, that was like "MEATLOAF singing" -- heavy on the histrionics; ten dollars worth of emotion in a ten cent song.
My vote goes to KATHERINE.
Now getchazz over to my Battle before I replace the female vocalist with Patti Page. (Kiddin':-)
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
Sorry it took me so long to get back, but I did cast my vote. For Diana, obviously.
DeleteThanks for the Jenkins vote.
No doubts for me....Katherine Jenkins all the way! In fact I have her album with this song on it. She has a tremendous voice and just brings it home for me especially this song. Am thinking you will have all songs that deal with overcoming depression and trying to be and succeeding over it....and you can:)
ReplyDeleteI actually don't have her album, but I should really look it up. I'm not big into opera per se, but I do love her voice.
DeleteWe shall see if you are correct.
Thanks for the Jenkins vote.
A hearty Welcome Back, Jeffrey. I'm so glad your back. I'm sorry for the struggles you've been experiencing. Just know you're not alone. We're all in this together...and we're here for you.
ReplyDeleteAs for your battle: GREAT! I like both versions but I really felt Daughtry's. His version is very powerful and emotional. I liked Katherine's until it got opera-y. I'm not keen on the opera sound. Daughtry just blew me away so please give my vote to him.
Glad to have you with us again!
Michele at Angels Bark
Thanks for stopping over. I visited your blog and have responded twice, but my comments have not been appearing. Are you screening comments now? I did one yesterday but have not seen it posted. I also did one today, and have not seen it posted but saw another comment from today posted. So I am confused.
DeleteThanks for the Daughtry vote.
I have the c.d. that contains the original (I'm very strange that way, will buy the entire c.d. for one song. 99% of the time it's a good thing), so I'm a bit biased in that aspect. Having said that, I believe the song is better done with a female led as opposed to a male lead. While Daughtry may be a good singer (haven't heard any of stuff), a male voice covering a song that originally had a female lead usually grates on the ears (personally, I believe that to be true for all rock/pop covers for the past 60 years, whether male or female). So I go with Katherine Jenkins.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your questions: yes, you are forgiven. No apology is really necessary when the real world is involved; lack of motivation due to stress is currently self-inflicted with my blogging. Stress over blogging has paralyzed my blogging (on my main blog that is). Not sure if I can overcome it this time, but we have the rest of the year to see if we can.
http://gbmjrflashyofct.tumblr.com
I'm a lot like you. I own a hard copy of every CD I have ever purchased. And yes, I will go out and buy a CD, even if there is one song on the album. But then again, I usually will wait till I find it in the second hand shop and pick it up for a buck.
DeleteYes, I had noticed the struggle you were having on your blog. At one time, I was managing three blogs. It got to be too much for me and I had to cut back to only one. Now, even that can be a struggle at times. Some times the real world has a way of bearing down on us and sucking the fun out of what we like to do. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be the best for you.
Thanks for the Jenkins vote.
This was a good choice of songs.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Katherine Jenkins version ok, but since I am a fan of Daughtry's "Meat Loaf" singing, as McCarthy put it, he sort of had my vote locked before I hit "play."
I look at blogging as a diversion, so when real life needs my attention, blogging goes by the wayside. Heck, sometimes I just set blogging aside because it feels like a chore!
Your frame of mind is real life, and your writing goals are real life. No need to be sorry for putting real life first.
Larry
I much appreciate you stopping over. Yes, McCarthy can be blunt, can't he? Well, sometimes we need that. But sometimes we don't. ;)
DeleteI appreciate the kind words, and words of wisdom.
Thanks for the Meatloaf vote. Errrr.... Daughtry.
Love him or hate him, McCarthy is always McCarthy. At least we always know where he stands, eh? No guessing necessary. (Personally, I find his straightforward, no-poseur-nonsense attitude rather refreshing, but maybe that's just me. ;o)
Delete~ D-FensDogG
I agree, as I said before, sometimes we need someone to be direct and straight forward with us. No complaints from me. Joke, yes. Complaints, no.
DeleteJeffrey, WOW, you put together two different styled artists going head to head on a Evanescence's biggest song! This is a good song for Chris and he pulled it off beautifully while keeping it close to the original. The real surprise for me came with Katherine Jenkins. I thought, "Ok, this isn't a song up her alley." and yet she did a fantastic job. Her vocals are far, far better Amy's and I loved Jenkins lighter rendition which didn't make me think about death. Do you care to guess who I'm going with? :) Give my vote to Katherine Jenkins! Great battle and how cool it is we both used Evanescence this round.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised by Katherine's version of the song. I too thought it was cool we both selected Evanescence. No matter how many times that happens, it always fascinates me when two of us use the same song and/or artists.
DeleteThanks for the Jenkins vote.
Katherine Jenkins is really good, but I'm hooked on Doughtry!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love puzzles.
Forgive you? Whatever for? I'm just jazzed you returned!
Glad you like puzzles, I hope this won't be too tough for anyone to figure out.
DeleteThanks for the Daughtry vote.