WELCOME TO ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF #BOTB!
🎉🎄🎉
This is an all-crooner's battle, featuring a classic holiday medley.
HISTORY
"Happy Holiday" (sometimes performed as "Happy Holidays") is a popular song composed by Irving Berlin in 1942 and sung by Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds (dubbed by Martha Mears) in the 1942 film Holiday Inn. The Kay Thompson song "The Holiday Season" is sometimes paired with "Happy Holiday" as a medley. This was first popularized by Andy Williams in 1963
[Reference only. NOT eligible for voting!]
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MICHAEL FEINSTEIN
Michael Jay Feinstein (born September 7, 1956 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an archivist and interpreter for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook.
"Happy Holiday" is the 4th track from his 2001 album, "An Intimate Holiday".
VS
MATT DUSK
Matthew-Aaron Dusk (born November 19, 1978 in Toronto) is a Canadian jazz vocalist. He has recorded twelve studio albums - two platinum, four gold, and had three number one radio hits. In 2016, Dusk self-produced his first full-length Christmas album, Old School Yule! which was certified gold by ZPAV. "Happy Holiday" is the first track.
VOTE NOW!
Please state your preference in comments below and why you chose it.
Voting remains open until 11:59 pm, Dec. 7th, 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]
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Next Battle on this site will be Jan. 1st (maybe).
ROCK ON and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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Happy holidays to you too!
ReplyDeleteGive my vote to Matt Dusk. The other one was good, but a bit loungy I guess.
Lee
First vote goes to Matt Dusk. Thanks, Lee!
DeleteMatt Dusk for me. Much more Andy-like, and I'm a second-gen Andy fan.
ReplyDeleteAnother one for Matt. Yeah, I'm an Andy fam from way back. Thanks, Chirs!
DeleteWell Debbie, it has to be Andy Williams and Happy Holiday(s) for me as I don't know the other two crooners. I do think I know this song by heart. Years of watching the yearly Christmas specials with my parents - one TV, so we crowded around to watch Perry Como, Dean Martin and/or Andy Williams. Also in your "Traditions" blog post, I forgot to mention that I do know who Michael Bublé is, but didn't know he was a Canadian.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! Andy isn't eligible. I only put his video here for reference. It's the other two who are the contenders. It doesn't matter if you don't know them, only which one you thought was a better version. Thanks for coming by, though! ☺ If you have the time, maybe you could pick one, for the sake of the contest?
DeleteHi Debbie - sorry I messed up the first time. Now I get it ... Matt Dusk sounded more like the song by Andy Williams and had a little more pep to it than the first singer, Michael Feinstein. P.S. - for some reason I can only put my name as yesterday and today it says the blog url is invalid.
DeleteThanks for coming back, Linda! Another vote for Matt. Sorry for the difficulties. Sometimes, WordPress and Blogger don't get along too well. Easiest way to comment on a Blogger site is using a Google account. I wanted to keep the BOTB posts separate from my main blog and only went with Blogger because it's free, but lets you do all kinds of things on the backend. The free version of WordPress doesn't allow for much, and I wasn't willing to pay for a plan, since my website already costs a lot to maintain.
DeleteDEBBIE D'DOGLADY ~
ReplyDeleteOf course, it probably goes without saying that Andy Williams *owns* this song. I'm pretty sure it was Andy's version of it that first forced me to consider the possibility that I liked his "crooning" after all. (It took me a long, long time to get on board with the crooners. Mathis and Darin were the ones who first managed to wriggle through what I mistakenly thought were securely locked doors.)
The Michael Feinstein rendition is fine. I don't mind lounge-y at all. It reminds me of piano bars I have spent good times in.
However, there's the "holiday excitement" factor to be considered. And Matt Dusk clearly wins in that category, even though, honestly, I feel like I should ding him a point for basically just duplicating the Andy Williams vocal approach to the song. But I always dig the Big Band sound so, for me, Matt leaves Mike in the Dusk!-- er... "dust".
Judge Al Bondigas was in the room while I played these and I asked him to make a rulin' in the case. He felt that the first song seemed kind of "bland" compared to the more upbeat second version. Therefore his gavel also came down in favor of Matt Dusk.
Maybe I should drink some gin & tonics and come back to re-listen after I'm in a more lounging position. :-)
~ Stephen T.
Oh yes, Andy Williams absolutely owns this song! I'm a big fan of his. It looks like Matt Dusk is definitely leaving Michael Weinstein in the "Dusk", with two more votes. Thank you Stephen and Judge Al!
DeleteHappy Holidays, Debbie! Fabulous song pick for your first December battle round! My vote goes to Matt Dusk. HIs upbeat vibe really puts me in the Christmas mood. :D
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for the upbeat Matt Dusk. Thanks, Cathy! ☺
DeleteIt's Michael Feinstein for me. I liked that his version was just a little slower and his voice reminds me of Mel Torme (which is a good thing). The Matt Dusk version was also nice, but just a little too bouncy for me.
ReplyDeleteAnd happy holidays to you!
Welcome to my BOTB site, Michael! ☺ The main one is on WordPress and I believe you are there as well, right? And thank you for breaking what was looking like a shutout, by casting your vote for Michael Feinstein. Cheers!
DeleteI keep thinking Michael Feinstein is the gravelly voiced actor whom we know best from Mrs. Doubtfire who played Robin Williams' brother..I thinknhis name is Harvey Feinstein. Anywhoo, I never cared for his singing..too drippy for me. I'm going all the way with my fellow Canadian, Matt.
ReplyDeleteYou're thinking of Harvey Fierstein, Birgit. And that's another vote for Matt. He's going to win by a landslide, by the look of things!
DeleteMichael is pretty smooth, but my vote goes to Matt for a more upbeat sound. Happy Holidays, Debbie!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays, diedre! Another vote for Matt. Thanks!
DeleteI didn't think Michael had as good a voice as Matt. Matt Dusk for me!
ReplyDeleteI think it's safe to say that Matt is running away with this one. Thanks for your vote, John.
DeleteVOTE = MATT DUSK
ReplyDeleteTough decision! Both have great voices. I liked Michael's piano flourishes; but I liked the orchestral embellishments on Matt's version. ~Ed.
At least it was a tough decision! Thanks for voting, Ed. Matt is going to win by a mile.
Delete