FEELING GOOD | BATTLE OF THE BANDS #BOTB
WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF BOTB!
Hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands, this is where you listen to different recordings and choose the one you prefer. There are two “Battles” per month, on the 1st and 15th. Votes will be tallied and posted the following week. (Please note: Effective July 2017, I switched to once a month on the 15th only. This will allow me more time to share other types of material with you.) Click HERE to view a complete list of my BOTB entries. See below for a list of current participants. Care to join us? Contact our host, by clicking on the above link and leaving a comment on his blog. The more, the merrier!
Today, we have two exceptional artists covering a classic show tune
HISTORY
[for reference only – not part of the vote]“Feeling Good” (also known as “Feelin’ Good“) is a song written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Grant on the UK tour and by Gilbert Price in 1965 with the original Broadway cast. Nina Simone recorded “Feeling Good” for her 1965 album I Put a Spell on You. – WIKIPEDIA
Background info only. Now, on to the actual contest…
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JOE BONAMASSA
Joe Bonamassa (born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. When he was 12 years old, Bonamassa opened for B.B. King. In the last 13 years, he has put out 15 solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which 11 have reached number 1 on the Billboard Blues charts. “Feelin’ Good” is the 8th track from his 7th studio album, The Ballad of John Henry, released in 2009.
VS
MICHAEL BUBLÉ
Michael Steven Bublé (born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. He has sold over 75 million records worldwide, and won numerous awards, including four Grammys and multiple Junos (Canadian equivalent to the Grammys). “Feeling Good” is the lead single from his album, It’s Time, released in 2005. The song was also the opening track on his live album, Caught in the Act, and has appeared in television commercials, ESPN’s 2005 World Series of Poker tournament, and the 2010 NBA draft broadcast.
VOTE NOW!
Please state your preference in comments below and why you chose it.
Voting remains open until 11:59 pm, May 21st,
after which I will count the votes, add mine and publish the results.
These are the other BOTB regulars and semi-regulars.
Please cruise on by their sites and, if they have a post up, vote on their selections as well:
[Check back – there’s no set posting time]ai love music / Angels Bark / Cherdo On The Flipside / Curious as a Cathy / Jingle Jangle Jungle /
Mike’s Ramblings / Sound of One Hand Typing / HOST: StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands / Tossing it Out
As always, “Sharing is Caring”. Spread this musical joy all over your social networks.
Hashtags are #BOTB and #dogladysden
FEELING GOOD | BATTLE OF THE BANDS #BOTB Who did it better? #dogladysenShare on X
Next Battle on this site will be June 15th.
ROCK ON!
As always, "Sharing is Caring". Spread this musical joy all over your social networks. 🙌
Hashtags are #BOTB and #dogladysden
33 thoughts on “FEELING GOOD | BATTLE OF THE BANDS #BOTB”
Hi Debbie – lovely to find you through our new group. Toronto is my old home! Was there for 10 years before coming back to the Uk. Used to spend my Saturday nights either at The Brunswick or chasing Goddo around the bars. Happy days! Then the children came along?This is a difficult one because I love both versions (and the Nina Simone one is just fantastic of course). But my vote would have been for Joe Bonamassa If I hadn’t missed the deadline! We love him and went to see him in Brighton when he came to the UK. His music is just fantastic. Lovely to link up with you!
Hi Gilly; Welcome to The Den. How cool that you lived in Toronto! Full disclosure: I live in the suburbs, not Toronto proper, but, close enough.
The Brunswick House is a popular fixture, and so is Goddo. 
Sounds like you had a lot of fun, here! Children can be fun too, I suppose, but we opted not to go that route.
Tell you what, since you only missed the deadline by a few hours and I haven’t written the results posts yet, I’m going to include your vote for Joe Bonamassa. He is fantastic, and I’d love to see him in concert, one day. That must have been a fabulous show! Thank you for your feedback.
Michael has my vote. His voice is as smooth as glass and that’s hard to resist!
Another vote for the irresistible Michael. ? Thanks!
Joe Bonamassa, please… an enthusiastic vote for Joe.
Great; thanks! Joe is catching up.
Absolutely no contest–Joe Bonamassa wins this one hands down. Love his guitar work!
Yes, indeed. JB is a master guitarist.
Thanks for your vote! Joe is doing much better, now. Blowout averted.
Oh I must go with Joe Bonamassa who kills it with his vocals and the bluesy style. Buble is an acquired taste for me because i always feel he is pointing the finger and winking while he sings. I am so glad his son is aok though
Hahaha! And now, I’m picturing Michael winking and pointing.
Yes, it’s wonderful news about his son. And Joe is grateful for your vote. It started off pretty one-sided, but now, it’s a REAL battle. Thanks, Birgit!
Hi Debbie! Ahhh, it’s so good to be back hanging out with you all, sharing our love of music.
I need to send you an email and get caught up with you. My Mom’s recent hospitalization and the unexpected turn of events has had us reeling and I’m so out of touch. Something seems to tell me that you sent me an email within the last week or so. Did you? Or did I dream that? If you did, did I reply? Things blew up last Thursday with my day starting out calling the Fire Dept for a lift assist with my Mom and then a few hours later I had to call 911 for EMS and an ambulance. She’s been in the hospital since then and was set to be released to a rehab/skilled nursing facility for a week or two to get strong enough to come home but then something completely out of the blue happened that just has us in a state of Holy Shit! What do we do?? I think there was some Divine intervention in all of this and I’ll tell you all the details in a catch-up email (but that won’t be happening for a few days at least). I do know that you’ve been a great friend, staying in touch while I was out of circulation and I so appreciate that….and I so appreciate you!
Re: your battle: GREAT song selection! I love Nina Simone’s version. It’s so “showy” — in a sexy Broadway style. When those horns kick in after her soft slow introduction it just takes me to a new plane. I loved seeing all those photos of her. She’s gorgeous. And then at the end, how she holds that final note…Wow, superb.
You’ve chosen two very evenly matched contenders. I’m torn as to who to will get my vote. I’m on the third time listening to all three! Still undecided, I took a break, fixed myself dinner (at 3:30 in the morning: a chicken breast tender and a twice-baked potato) and while listening to both contenders for a fourth time, I ate my overcooked dinner and read about the musical, which until now I was completely unfamiliar. (Have you seen this musical at any time?)
Anyway, I have finally made my decision…and I’m so glad I did because I’m exhausted and now full and my bed is calling me…
My vote is going to Joe Bonamassa. His masterful guitar playing won me over in the end. Both Bonamassa and Buble did a fabulous job with this song but I like Joe’s just a wee bit more.
EXCELLENT BATTLE Debbie! What a way to end my night. Now if I can just leave politics off the television while I go to sleep, maybe I’ll have a good few hours of shut-eye…
talk soon,
Michele at Angels Bark
Wow! You sure are going through a stressful time with your Mom. I know you even mentioned brain surgery in a comment elsewhere.
Sending hugs, love and best wishes! ♥ Yes, please drop me a line to update, whenever you have the time. We did exchange messages on Facebook recently, since it was our 5th Friendiversary there, but of course, we’ve known each other longer than that.
I’m so glad you enjoyed all the selections here!
(Eating dinner at 3 am? You must be exhausted!) No, I haven’t seen that show, since I’m not much into stage musicals. Tough choice battles are the best kind! Joe is a BEAST on guitar, that’s for sure. Happy to see him get your vote and catch up to Michael.
Thanks for coming by! Please, take good care of yourself and let me know how things go with your mom. ((HUGS))
Joe gets my vote!
Another vote for Joe Bonamassa. Thank you!
I prefer Joe Bonamassa’s singing over Buble’s so a vote for Bonamassa. I still prefer/love Nina Simone’s version by miles.
Yay! Another vote for Joe Bonamassa. Thank you, Roland. I thought he might get left in the dust for this one. Looks like he’s picking up steam.
Nina’s version is a great one, for sure.
Damn, DEBBIE! What an awesome Battle! You have got your BOTB mojo seriously working these days!!
First of all, some of my very favorite Battles are when someone finds two REALLY GOOD renditions of the same song but they arranged radically different. How much an arrangement can alter a song was what I was primarily trying to illustrate in my very first BOTB installment 5+ years ago. And THIS was an excellent example of that very thing. Kudos!
I listened once (Bonamassa and then Buble) and couldn’t decide, so I had to return later and listen a second time (Buble and then Bonamassa), and I’m STILL torn. I could easily and happily vote for either one. Both recordings are fantastic!
I’ve heard Bonamassa before, but nothing ever really knocked me out. So, I was unprepared for this; I had no idea he was capable of this kind of GRRRRuff rockin’. This is how you rock the hell out of a song but without playing fast. Man, he’s got that guttural growlin’ sound down perfectly here!
And then there’s Michael Buble. A crooner. Crooning has never appealed much to me (unless it’s Bobby Darin or Johnny Mathis). But over the years, several people have used Buble in BOTB and I realized right away that the guy has incredible talent. I mean, that dude was born to sing, and even I could hear that immediately. No one swings better. And then Michele used Buble’s ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ in a BOTB contest, and I was so floored by it that I actually got the CD with that song on it. (It was one of two times that I actually bought an album based on someone else’s BOTB contest.)
Not only is Michael Buble a supremely gifted singer, but the musicians he always has backing him are absolutely superb! That guy knows his art!
Alright… after all that yakking, I’m going to give my vote to BUBLE, but it’s so close that I’d say he’s got only a 52 to 48 advantage over Bonamassa. If Mary’s vote had not already made a shutout impossible, I would have voted for Bonamassa without a guilty conscience. This Battle is much better than the voting trend might seem to indicate. Great job, Debbie!
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the contest, Stephen!
And I’m glad it was tough to choose; those are the best kind of battles. Both artists are masters of their genres, and I appreciated your analysis. Another vote for Michael Bublé. Thanks!
P.S. Are you familiar with Joe Bonamassa’s collaboration with Beth Hart? A killer combo. they are! Fodder for a future BOTB, perhaps?
I love what Michael Buble did with this song. His full-orchestra backup added that special touch. Kinda reminds me of the big band sound.
Michael Bublé is the reigning king of the modern big band sound, so your comment makes perfect sense, Eugenia.
Thanks for your vote. Another one for Michael!
Joe Bonamassa ♥♥♥ I love what he did with the song. Buble was good, but not nearly as exciting to me as Bonamassa!
Yay! Thanks for sparing me from a shutout, Mary! It was starting to look like one. First vote for Joe Bonamassa.
Well, my first thought was, “I can guess how this will go by the contestants”… but that’s not fair and often not right. So we listen- And the battle became much more even once Buble hit the swing button. Not trying to be evasive, but I’m calling an upset draw on this one…
So, your vote goes to Bublé? Or did I misinterpret your comment? Please clarify. Thanks!
Nope, a big fat tie. I’m copping out, lol.
Oh, no fair! ? Please choose one, otherwise we’ll be dealing with half-votes, and that ain’t pretty. ?
There’s another vote for Michael Bublé from me. I loved his mellow version of this.
Nice to see you, Clowie!
Another vote for Michael. He seems to be on a roll. Thanks for participating.
Debbie,
Good battle. I enjoyed both cover artists. Joe’s guitar didn’t work for my ear. I like his vocals. It became clear almost instantly that Michael Buble was my favorite – keeping his rendition closer to the original with a dynamic full-orchestra backing along with his jazzy blues vocals – excellent cover!
Wednesday mashup – WW + BoTB round 9 ‘The Signs’ Showdown
I’m glad you enjoyed the battle, Cathy. Another vote for the smooth Michael Bublé!
Joe was kind of jarring–I mean he rocked and all–but I’m in a mellow mood and Michael Buble set the mood right for me. He got me in the groove and then lifted me higher.
A vote for Michael Buble. And now you know how I feel.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
First vote goes to the mellow Michael Bublé. Thanks, Lee!