RESULTS: BATTLE OF THE BANDS -- 2017, JAN. 15 (Or, THE TRAIN HAS ARRIVED)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2017, January 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (Or, 'Regina McCrary Versus William Dobbs') And The Final Tally:
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First of all, my genuine thanks as usual to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU who took the time to listen and vote on this edition of 'Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB). Without you, this Battle would have ended in a 0 to 0 tie.

I mentioned HERE, how much trouble I had trying to find what I felt were two well-matched competitors for the Gospel song 'IF I GOT MY TICKET'.
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This was my 83rd BOTB installment and I'm not sure if I've EVER had one that seemed so closely matched. I think that at one point WILLIAM DOBBS had a two-vote lead over REGINA McCRARY, and that's the WIDEST the vote margin ever got throughout the contest. For the most part the voting on this Battle was like one for William, one for Regina, one for William, one for Regina, one for William, one for Regina... and so on, all the way to the Finish line. It was INCREDIBLE!

The majority of voters stated that they really enjoyed BOTH versions of the song and that it wasn't an easy decision to make. Only a couple of people seemed to feel that their vote was a slam-dunk for one artist over the other.

Considering that at one point I was about two minutes away from giving up on using this song altogether (I had even picked out a substitute song already) and considering that William Dobbs is a non-celebrity YouTuber who was going up against Bob Dylan's highly professional and excellent Gospel background singers, William came through magnificently in this contest.

As for my own vote... well...
When my Brother, Judge Al "Nappy" Bondigas, posted his vote, he left a comment that PERFECTLY captures my own views about this contest as well. So following is what Judge Al wrote, and it goes for me, too:

Both versions were so great and soulful that I feel bad that someone's gonna take second. I know, I know, there is no crying in baseball and no ties in Battle of the Bands. Hmmm... I slightly rule fer William Dobbs and his choir. Both versions were great, but the whole choir arrangement really moved me. Anyway, rulin' fer Dobbs and background. That's it. That's my rulin'!!!

I wholeheartedly concur with ALL OF THAT. Except for one thing... The Good Judge wrote, "There is ... no ties in Battle of the Bands". But in truth (as Tyrone said in the movie 'Hollywood Shuffle'), "That shit could really happen!"

Regina McCrary = 10 votes
William Dobbs = 10 votes

Alright, at this point I've lost track of how many times "I've kissed my sister" (i.e., ended up with a BOTB tie) but I think this one might be #12.

Anyway, as much as I normally dislike ties, this one doesn't bother me because BOTH artists performed this song so well that it would have been almost criminal to have seen either one of them have to lose the Battle. So, yes, I actually CELEBRATE this draw and commend Regina and William for making it so entertaining and exciting for me. Great BOTB installment, thanks to the contestants!

Incidentally, I want to earnestly urge you all to pay William a visit. He has a YouTube channel where he has uploaded a number of other classic songs that he's recorded for our enjoyment. Please go by and listen and give him a word or two of encouragement. William seems like a super-nice and humble man after God's own heart, and I hope you all will thank him for contributing to such an A-List and E-Ticket Battle Of The Bands installment.
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WILLIAM DOBBS YouTube channel: click HERE.
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My thanks to William Dobbs and my thanks again to all y'all. And I hope you'll return for my February 1st Battle Of The Bands installment on February 1st. (You see how that works?)

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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