The song was Bill Wither’s Use Me; the cover contenders were Aaron Neville and Hootie & the Blowfish. Wow oh wow, was this ever a tough choice for me! And it was a tight battle all the way through. If I vote for Aaron Neville, this battle will result in a Tie. So… who am I going to vote for?
I am having the hardest time deciding. I love both versions and each stays pretty true to the original. Aaron has that sensual delivery that makes me swoon. There is some very fine sax and haunting strings, and I especially like the way he ends the song (“funky funky funky funky…”). On the other hand, Darius Rucker with the Blowfish do a tremendous job in all facets of the song and I like the sax in their version even better than in Aaron’s version. Plus there’s more beat to it, some great harmonies and an intensity that I really dig.
Arrgh! I want to vote for both — but I already did that once and I’m not going to make a habit of doing that. It pains me to have to make a choice but I will. Instead of resulting in a Tie, I’m choosing Hootie & the Blowfish. (Sorry Aaron).
Final Tally:
Aaron Neville – 8 votes
Hootie & the Blowfish – 10 votes
This was a fun battle. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. As always, thanks for your participation. Come back on the 15th for the next battle. Have a great week everybody!
Angels Bark 
YAY! my boy Darius and his friends won! This was a great battle, and very evenly matched. FUN FUN FUN!!
Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw, thanks Mary! Glad you had fun with it too! 🙂
LikeLike
Hi, Michele!
Congratulations on staging a very close battle with evenly matched challengers. As usual I am on the losing team but it’s all good because I was introduced to two excellent new versions of one of my favorite songs.
Thanks again for the entertainment and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Michele!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are no losers here Shady! In my book, you’re always a winner… 🙂
LikeLike
Hard battle!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad Hootie won since I voted for them but this was another wonderful battle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Birgit.
LikeLike
My choice lost but I’m okay with the winner. It was a tough battle, Michele.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you’re okay with the outcome. I really had a hard time choosing and I just as well could’ve chosen Aaron Neville. I’m going to have both versions in my music library, that’s for sure. Thanks for playing!
LikeLike
Excellent battle, Michele! 🙂 It’s good to be on the winning side. Darius Rucker has an amazing voice and those harmonies are killer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked it Debbie. I had fun with it. Love that song so much and it was really neat to find two excellent versions. Thanks for playing! Have a great weekend. 🙂
LikeLike
I agree, this was a fun battle. Bother versions were good but I’m glad Hootie won. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay, Hootie! I nearly killed me to vote against Aaron Neville though. This was probably the hardest time I’ve had voting in my own battles. Was really a toss-up and I listened to both versions so many times! Good thing I liked the song… 🙂
Thanks for playing Jeffrey!
LikeLike
Sorry I’m late, friend! Yay for Hootie and the Blowfish! I might have chosen another name for this band (lol), but I’ve loved them from the start. Remember Hold My Hand? Yep, I was hooked. Have you heard any of Darius Rucker’s solo stuff? He’s still got it.
Thanks! Have a nice weekend!
LikeLike