Listening to some Al Bowlly this morning.  Very pleasant.  A few of the songs are ones Bing also sang, and a few sound like clones of Crosby-recorded songs.  Most of the rest Bing would have been quite at home singing.  The more I have listened to Bowlly, the more I have gotten that the comparisons between him and Crosby probably are mainly based on types of songs and also an intimate approach to the songs--that is, as if they are addressed to a single listener, rather than being declamations to a large crowd.  For a time, Bowlly may have had a similar level of popularity in Britain, as recording and radio singer, as Bing, but his career didn't have the Crosby breadth or anything like its length in the top ranges of popularity.  He also wasn't a baritone, though in the early Thirties when Bing was singing in a higher range that would have been less of a contrast.  If you have some Bowlly recordings, dust them off and give them a new listen.  Post your refreshed impressions of him here.