What Child-Round 2

Whew. Elizabeth Curtis Gemeroy will speak to me for at least two more days. Bethany Bylsma has people calling her a hero for her nominations, meaning the screaming may be held at bay.

BUT…all is not necessarily well in Caroling Madness land. This year, I’ve done my best to cater to the indie crowd, giving Sufjan Stevens pretty good seeds. Alas, it was not enough, as 8 seed Sufjan was upset by Mr. Gen X Christmas MWS…by one vote. In fact, what should be an 8/9 matchup is now a 24/25 matchup, as John Denver overcame newcomer Josh Garrels…also by one vote. It’s like the world is conspiring against Millenials in 2016!

Poor head-banging drummer Kevin Corkan was crushed by Lindsey Sterling, while most of the other matches were quite close. My seeding held up well; other than the aforementioned 8/9 upsets, the only other (minor) upset was #17 Amy Grant over #16 Street Corner Symphony.

So round 2 is on! Don’t forget, the four top seeds enter the bracket now, so make sure you take time to listen, and vote before Wednesday at 8 pm PST.

First up is an exquisite offering from classically trained  #1 seed Andrea Bocelli and R&B power from Mary J. Blige. They face newly victorious “She is Christmas”, #17 seed Amy Grant.

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Then we’ve got the upset special, #24 seed John Denver vs. #25 seed Michael W. Smith (with Martina McBride).

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Will the tricky #5 and #12 matchup bring an upset? #5 seed Lindsay Sterling vs. #12 seed The Gardiner Sisters.

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In this matchup, you get introduced for the first time to #4 seed Earth, Wind & Fire, and let me tell you, it is a smooooooooooooooth treat. They face #13 seed Julie Andrews, both Bylsma babies, so not sure how she’s gonna do with this one…

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Guitars vs. Crooner born too late: #6 seed Don and Wendy Francisco and Jerry Palmer vs. #11 seed Harry Connick Jr.

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#3 seed Found Wandering was nominated by Doreen Fertello, and Robin Mohr knows this Philadelphia based group. This is a really intriguing arrangement that grabbed me. They face off against #14 seed Mahalia Jackson.

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Two jazz styles collide: #7 seed the Vince Guaraldi Trio vs. #10 seed John Coltrane

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Then comes our last new music, #2 seed Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, nominated by Nate Macy and Bethany Bylsma. As I said with the first write up, this will probably engender love/hate reactions. The 2 seed tells you I loved it. They face #15 seed Johnny Mathis

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There you go! Put on your headphones and get to voting! Wednesday at 8 pm PST is the deadline.