Diamonds Are Forever BOTB Showdown

Welcome to round 11 of Battle of the Bands!  In 1971, the seventh James Bond movie released with Sean Connery’s return in Diamonds Are Forever as the sophisticated, International spy 007.  Shirley Bassey amazing vocals opens the big screen production with the self-titled theme song.  No one can come close to Shirley’s amazing voice.  I will ask you in this showdown to try to not listen for a Bassey sing-alike but instead to give the two artists I picked a chance to earn your vote based solely on their styles.  Are you ready?  Let’s get started!

Artist #1, Charlotte Rosse <–YouTube Channel] described as a “heart-on sleeve style vocalist” by FMS article writer hails from across the pond lives in the UK.  Kindly listen to Charlotte’s cover.

Artist #2 Alyona Yarushina immigrated to the U.S. in 2020 from Moscow Russia and is working on her recording her first album.  Alyona uses a broader range of musical styles.


I enjoyed both of these ladies cover songd.  Now, it’s up to you to decided who gets your vote.  Will it be Charlotte or Alyona?  The choice is up to you.  Remember there’s no wrong vote, except a no vote.  You know what to do, leave the name of your favorite pick in comments.  It’s that easy! 😉

I invite you to visit BoTBers with showdowns going on today.

Polls close June 6 at noon (EST)

I am starting my summer blogging routine. Instead of composing two BoTB each month, I am only taking part in the first one of each month, even this is subject to change especially if participation in this battle is skimpy. Internet traffic is slow as it should be this time of the year and I don’t fault anyone for wanting to spend time doing other things than staying glued to their computer, so don’t worry about it. I get it. I’ll announce the winner in this round in my June 7th Monday’s Music Moves Me post, so be sure to mark your calendar to see if your favorite artist wins in this showdown and have a funtastic summer!  X💋X💋, Cathy



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38 comments

    1. Mike,

      I didn’t catch your vote in time for ALYONA. She’s too far down to catch up with Charlotte but I’m so happy others found her version good enough to vote for. Have a good day, my friend!

  2. Happy June to you, Cathy!

    I loved both renditions but, while most seem to have voted Charlotte, I found myself voting for Alyona. I just loved her voice and style! My eldest is a huge music fan so I will let him know to come check out your blog.

    P.S. Thanks for the lovely and encouraging comment you left on my blog. Much appreciated. I hope to be a better Blogger even through the tough times. It’s all in the mindset, I suppose.

    The Blogger email subscription will stop from July 1st so you won’t get any new posts via email from then.

    Enjoy your weekend and your relaxed blogging schedule throughout the warmer months there. We officially started our Winter on June 1st. 🙂

    Serena xx

    1. Serena,

      Thanks, darlin’ for stopping by to cast your vote in this showdown for ALYONA. Please do let your son know about my BoTB participation as well as my Monday’s Music Moves Me posts. I love it when the word is shared and I always hope others will decide to play along. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know that the email subscriptions will end next month. I did bookmark your blog so I can find my way to you easily but what we need to do is establish a routine to check in with one another. Do you take part in Rain’s Thursday Art Date? I couldn’t remember if you do or not but since you’re an artist then I know this is the perfect community for you to reconnect with your creative passion. It’s cooling off there just as it’s heating up here. Personally, I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. I love the long days of summer but not the high temps. Have a good weekend, dearie!

  4. While both contenders call to mind the scent of expensive perfume, I think it’s the difference between Bond and Broadway that leads me to vote for Charlotte 😉

    1. Natasha,

      Thanks for dropping by, my dear. I’m on summer break except for Mondays and once per month with my BOTB. I have your vote recorded for CHARLOTTE. I’ll be over to check out your mid-week post. Have a wonderful summer!

      1. So glad you are taking a summer break, and will return rested and rejuvenated.

        Love the BOTB posts. You guys are rockstars. <3

        Big love, sweety.

  8. Hi Cat: Just so you know I’m giving WordPress a shot. I have my Wordless Wednesday there. Please leave a comment to let me know you seen it and you can take the linky and add it for Monday. Love ya girl… bedtime for me. HUGS

    1. Marie,

      I just left a message on your Wordless Wednesday post but it doesn’t show up. I reckon you have moderation turned on or WordPress threw it into the ‘Spam’ folder. WP does that frequently even on my site. You’ll need to keep eye on that little booger. I have your WP site to reflect appropriately for Mondays, so you’re set on that score. 😉

  9. Alyona sounded like a little girl playing dress up and trying to sing a song to match, but Charlotte sounds like it’s just up her alley to sing this. Charlotte gets my vote.

  10. Alyona, hands down, without a doubt, is my choice. What discipline she displays. I really thought she was going to go off the rails at the end, but she held it together. Both tracks are outstanding. This was time well spent for yours truly. Thank you, Cathy.

    1. Myke,

      I’m glad you appreciate Alyona’s style as much as I do. She definitely has the control. Bassey’s big vocals is what we’re used to hearing so it’s natural to gravitate to Rosse in this showdown but your favorite pick’s softer, controlled vocals is an unexpected delight. Thanks for casting your vote for ALYONA, my friend!

  11. Both versions are great, but I like Shirley Bassey’s best.

    1. Ellen,

      No one does it better than Bassey but one of these ladies will win and right now it appears Charlotte might be the gal.

  12. Charlotte won me over! Right from the gate… whereas Alyona took a bit to warm up. My vote is for Charlotte!

  13. Howdy, CAThy! It’s That You?
    It’s This Me, Too!

    My first comment didn’t post for some odd reason, so here comes “TAKE TWO!!”:

    Both recordings were done in such similar ways that I had to listen to BOTH TWICE, to really find some differentiation. But in the final analysis, I’m boting for CHARLOTTE ROSSE because I really liked that short musical intro to her version. Plus, I think she has the stronger voice and turned in a slightly more dramatic performance.

    And here’s a surprising bit o’ news for ya:

    I have a live BOTB competition in this round, and you can find it here [Link> Battle Of The Bands Rematch! (or, Vicki Sue Robinson Vs. Starbuck)

    There’s a good likelihood that I’ll have another BOTB installment on July 1st, 2021. And after that? Only The Shadow knows!

    ~ D-FensDogG

    1. Hey Stephen! Yeah, it’s me! 🙂 WP decided to put both of your comments into my ‘Spam’ folder but thankfully I spotted them. Since the first one did something you didn’t like, I just approved this one for simplicity. I liked that both artist kept fairly close to Lulu’s version but your pick, CHARLOTTE ROSSE, along with most everyone else is probably the most like the original and she has more what you expect from a James Bond theme song. It’s no wonder that she’s running away with this battle. Thanks for the heads up on your battle. I’ll be right over!

  15. Both artists are on a relatively equal playing field. Both a very good. Something about the orchestral arrangement on the Charlotte Rosse captivated me more. I got more of a sixties vibe from her version and I really liked it.

    Give my vote to Charlotte Rosse.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    1. Lee,

      It’s not a surprise that you like you like orchestra arrangement. CHARLOTTE ROSSE has nearly captivated everyone attention in this battle. Both are very good singers but Charlotte stronger vocals is out performing her competitor.

    1. John,

      Thank you for voting for ALYONA! I was sooo afraid I was going to have a shut out. I know, it’s just the first day but still it wasn’t looking good. Now, I can relax. 🙂

  17. Charlotte has my vote as she seems to have a stronger voice, more sultry and in control. I found the second gal pitchy and I didn’t care for the way she linger on some notes. I hope you keep this up because I enjoy it. I also hope you still do the weekly song challenge.

    1. Birgit,

      I plan to keep my battles going on the first of each month during the summer unless something prevents me from doing these but I’m going to try to get all of them done so they’ll publish at the right time without missing a beat. Thanks for coming over to vote for CHARLOTTE in this showdown, my friend!

  18. I like them both, but Charolotte Rosse has my vote. She’s got that smokey voice that is just right.

    Have a fabulous day and week, Cathy. Love and hugs. ♥

    1. Sandee,

      Charlotte’s voice has that smokey vibe and I agree she has the sound that we come to think of as a James Bond theme song. I won’t be at all surprised that she wins this thing. I just hope Alyona wins a few votes. She’s a good rock artist. Thanks for dropping by casting your vote for CHARLOTTE ROSSE!

  20. Hi, Cathy!

    Happy June to you, dear friend! I am a big fan of the 007 film series and rather picky when it comes to Shirley Bassey theme song covers because she is such a tough act to follow. As it turned out, neither of these covers strayed very far from the original arrangement or vocal style. I enjoyed listening to both artists. However it was fairly easy for me to decide how to vote. Although contestant #2, Alyona Yarushina, has the advantage of an actual video performance clip, whereas the Charlotte Rosse entry is a lyric video with static artwork, my ears tell me Charlotte is the better singer. I found Charlotte on YouTube and watched her video for “Raise A Toast.” She looks like a typical pop singer but has a surprisingly powerful and authoritative voice. On “Diamonds Are Forever,” Charlotte hits all the right notes. Her vocal is refined yet has power to spare, and the arrangement is appropriately bold and swaggering. Alyona’s version simply didn’t grab me as much.

    Please give my vote to Brit bird Charlotte Rosse.

    Enjoy the rest of your week and month, dear friend Cathy!

    1. Tom,

      Charlotte has a big voice and while her style seems more like Shirley Bassey, I don’t like how it seems she yells when her voice climbs. Alyona’s vocals are a bit smoother, softer and while isn’t a Bassey copy-cat, I like the way she covered the James Bond theme song. I suspect Charlotte’s bolder vocals might be the preferred choose by many. Thanks for casting the first vote for CHARLOTTE ROSSE, my friend.

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