Newcomer meets 80s POP star in #BOTB showdown
Good morning, kittens and dawgs! September is half over. I don’t know where the time is going. I barely can figure out one BoTB before the next one starts. Unlike, some fellow BoTBers I do not plan nor do my posts follow a pattern. I’m a fly by the seat kind of gal when it comes to blogging. No, really I am just that spontaneous when it comes to what I share in my posts.
Today’s featured song rode the charts at #1 for five weeks in 1976 by the all-female group, The Emotions, that was written by Earth, Wind, and Fire band members: Al McKay and Maurice White. Here’s the original for your listening pleasure only, which is not included in the showdown, Best of My Love!
Contender #1 is new-to-me. This group packs a lot of R&B with a touch of The Pussycat Dolls style. Please listen to La Diva!
Contender #2 needs no introduction and if she does then you’re too young to vote this round. lol Let’s give it up for the amazing Sheena Easton!
In this week’s edition of, Whatever happened to…?, I spotlighted Sheena Easton. I was kinda inspired by her in this round of BoTB, so I fibbed just a wee bit. 😉
Voting is open to everyone visiting my site. There is no wrong vote, except if you don’t vote. You can start by telling me in comments which artist you like best and why (optional).
Who gets your vote, LaDiva or Sheena Easton?
The fun continues with more epic battles underway and I invite you to visit, Stephen (at the top of the list), if you’d like to know how this works and/or ask how to join all this madness fun!
- Stephen @STMCC presents Battle of the Bands
- Lee @Tossing It Out
- Robin @Your Daily Dose
- Mike’s Ramblings
- John @ The Sound of One Hand Typing
- Dixie @DCRelief ‘Battle of the Bands’
- Debbie @The Doglady’s Den
- Cherdo on the Flipside
- Michele @Angels Bark
- Mary @Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Janie Junebug
- J.A. Scott
- Guilie @Quiet Laughter
- Kim @ReInVintaged
- Evil Pop Tart
- DiscConnected
Tell your friends to come by to get in on the action. The more the merrier!?
Thanks for joining in on the fun. Don’t forget to swing by for Friday Sillies and other Friday fun stuff. 😉 This is Curious as a Cathy signing off, “Have a bandtastic day!”
20 Comments
mike spain
Sheena Easton gets my vote, her sound was better
stevebethere
Well that was a hard choice both covers were good and close to the original but my vote goes too….tick tick tick tick……La Diva 🙂
I had almost forgot about Sheena Easton after all his time 🙂
Have a votetastic day Cathy 🙂
Cathy Kennedy
Steve, I’m glad you came by to vote. I thought for sure you’d go with your English chum, Sheena Easton, on this round. However, you made a good choice with LaDiva giving them now a grand total of 4 votes. Tell your friends to come by to jump in the fun before the polls close Wednesday!
Birgit
I know Sheena Easton:) I remember her at the Oscars but even though I like her voice Iam going with La Diva. They sounded better to me and it was more harmonic.
Cathy Kennedy
Birgit, You’ve given La Diva their third vote. I’m really surprised they aren’t getting more votes than they are. I thought for sure most would like her better because they do sound more like The Emotions. Just goes to show I’m wrong but it change around, right? 🙂
DiscConnected
I guess one does learn something new every day-I’d have guessed the original was by The Pointer Sisters. In fact, even listening to it, I still want to guess the Pointer Sisters-either I never knew or had forgotten the Emotions.
Neither cover strayed far from the original. I was always partial to Phoebe Snow’s cover in the late 80’s.
LaDiva does a good job, but I think Easton’s arrangement was more interesting, so she gets my vote.
Are you sure the Emotions are not really the Pointer Sisters?
Larry
greyzoned/angelsbark
Great battle here Cathy! At first I didn’t like the faster tempo of Sheena’s version but then the song pulled me in. However, I did prefer La Diva’s version. It sounded more like the Emotions version, which I love. Great flashback!!
Please give my vote to La Diva.
Nicely done!! And this song just brought a smile to my face so thanks for that! 🙂
Michele at Angels Bark
Cathy Kennedy
Michele, I’m glad you enjoyed the battle and contenders. I’m glad you this song brought back some pleasant memories. Your vote gives La Diva their second vote. I think this battle is going to be really lopsided but that could change!
Myke Todd
I will side with Easton here, but I had to go back to listen to the original, just for fun.
Cathy Kennedy
Hey, Myke thanks for popping in for another round of BoTB. I have you down for Sheena. She’s really stealing the stage!
D-FensDogG
Tough call, CATHY. I like the vocals better in La Diva (I always dig group vocals) but the song seemed to go on… forever. Surely a sign that, for me, it got old after awhile.
I liked the horns better in the Sheena Easton version.
Hmmm… I dunno.
Well, in the background of Easton’s version is also that funky Shaft-like rhythmic percussion thing. So, I guess I’ll vote for Easton, even though her vocals don’t really appeal to me as much as La Diva’s did — at least for half of the running time.
~ Deplorable D-FensDogG
Cathy Kennedy
Stephen, LaDiva’s cover is about 30 seconds longer than Sheena’s. I didn’t think about that being a concern because they were a closer match to The Emotions that I never gave it much thought. I’m glad you liked their vocals, though. 🙂 You seemed to struggle just a wee bit with giving your vote to Sheena but either way both artists did a great job on this retro hit. Sheena takes another vote bringing the tally to 4-1 in her favor.
John Holton
Both covers are a lot like the original, and both are very good. I’m going with the (current) majority and picking Sheena Easton, because I liked the sound quality better.
Cathy Kennedy
John, gee Sheena is taking the lead in this battle. Hmmm, this sort of surprises me! Oh well, gotcha down for Sheena E.
Mary B
I truly enjoyed listening to La Diva, but Sheena Easton just seemed to give it a much fuller sound. My vote is for Sheena Easton. Great battle!
Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Cathy Kennedy
Mary, Another vote goes to Sheena Easton! Thanks for popping over to weigh in this round, my friend. I’ll be over to see ya soon! 😉
Arlee Bird
This was a real flashback. Both version retain the spirit of the original. Easton’s version has a slick showy sound. La Diva packs a lot more punch into their version. Though I like the percussive nature of La Diva, over all I prefer the production and the smoother vocals in the Easton version.
I’m going with Sheena E.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Cathy Kennedy
Lee, really this song is a total flashback. Sheena has a polished, classy style that’s the bomb! I have your vote record for Sheena Easton. The count is 1-1. 🙂
Thomas Anderson
Hi, Cathy!
Happy BOTB day to you, dear friend!
“Best of My Love” by the Emotions was at or near its peak of popularity in September 1977 when I was in Myrtle Beach, SC, on a two week vacation. The record played often during that span. I became anchored to it and it has remained a favorite ever since.
You picked two excellent covers for your battle and it took longer than usual for me to make up my mind how to vote. I was pleasantly surprised by Sheena Easton’s version. There’s nothing vanilla about it and I enjoyed the backing singers which might have included or consisted entirely of Sheena’s own vocals multi-tracked. However, I liked cover #1 even more. I wondered why I never heard of La Diva. I Wikied them and read that they are from the Philippines. On La Diva’s cover of “Best of My Love” both the lead vocal and the background vocals are a little more soulful and a little more true to the Emotions’ original. The arrangement was also closer to the original and I appreciated that because it just seemed to work better than the arrangement on Sheena’s recording. In my opinion La Diva gave us a version of “Best of My Love” that rivals the original. I thoroughly enjoyed both recordings offered here but my ears picked La Diva as the clear winner.
Thank you very much, dear friend Cathy!
Cathy Kennedy
Good-evening, Tom! We just got home a little while ago from being in the mountains. The day was too nice to stay home, so off we went. I appreciate your early visit. Best of My Love by The Emotions was a favorite of mine, too. I turned 15 the year it came out. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of LaDiva before now, either. They do pack a lot of power and soul with their rendition. I can see why you like it so much. I have yet to decide which way my vote will fall. I’m happy that you liked both artists covering a classic 70s hit. I put you down for LaDiva!