Posted May 10, 200817 yr My review of the 43 ESC entrants songs 2008 Background: I've historically taken a casual interest in this competition, largely because I believed the Terry Wogan led its a bit of a joke, everybody hates us, and it is all political voting... negativity vibe. However last year (thanks to members of this site) this Eurovision sceptic was encouraged to go through the songs in advance of the competition, and low & behold the Serbian entry that I most liked won the competition; whilst the two other songs I thought would make the top 3 finished 4th & 3rd. Whilst I thought most of the Western European entries and all of the Big Four entries were rubbish. So with that background having only heard in advance the British & Irish entries, I will go through these songs, playing them for the first time and giving my thoughts. For what they are worth! ?? :lol:
May 10, 200817 yr Will be an interesting read Rich. :D I'll PM you a site with all the songs available for download... although if you just want a quick listen then YouTube is probably better.
May 10, 200817 yr Author I'll do this in roughly groups of 4 songs at a time: Albania: Olta Boka - Zemrën Lamë Peng Nice guitar, with an understated Celine Dion type singer. But basically there is a really good tune trying to break out of a melody & song structure that is spoiling it. Slightly Turkish, yet slight Gothic (Evanescence/Within Temptation) sounding. Could be a grower, but I suspect it wont make the final. 5 out of 10. Andorra: Gisela - Casanova Mmmm, very Steps, very Euro-Disco circa 1998. I suspect it's chances of doing well would have been better a decade ago too. Plus the verse & chorus sound as if they belong to too entirely separate songs. 5 out of 10 Armenia: Sirusho - Qele Qele I love the ethnic Eastern European near Acapella sounding start, before it goes into a Eastern European Shakira style track. But this is clearly a good tune where the musical arrangement compliments the singer & song. The singer looks fit too! 8/10 Azerbaijan: Elnur Gusseinov & Samir Yavadzadeh - Day After Day WTF! A horrific operatic start, but then it gets worse thanks to the pseudo heavy metal caterwauling. The only people who will vote for this are the tone deaf, the clinically insane or those people who want the ESC to be a mockery. Vile. 0/10
May 10, 200817 yr I agree with your views on Andorra...it does sound a bit like two different songs stuck together :o
May 10, 200817 yr Author Belarus: Ruslan Alenho - Hasta La Vista OK, another slightly gothic sounding lite-rock track, with a male singer who sounds like he has broke away from a boyband because he wants to be Jon Bon Jovi. The verse is OK, the chorus is slightly better. But it is oh so formulaic. It could do well if it has a good draw, but otherwise ... Hasta La Vista. 5/10 Belgium: Ishtar - O Julissi Na Jalini Are Belgium having a laugh? This sounds like some twee folk type song from an ESC back in the 1960s. The only thing is it is so different it might stand out from the crowd. But I can't stand this. 1/10 Bosnia & Herzegovina: Elvir Lakovic Laka - Pokušaj This is bonkers. I can't stand the male singers voice, the female has modelled herself on Kenny Everett sidekick Cleo Rocus, yet there is a really good tune here. Good arrangement too. It wont win, but could do well. 6/10 Bulgaria: Deep Zone & Balthazar - DJ, Take Me Away A dance anthem, and not a bad one either. This is so different if they nail it on the night/s then this could go all the way. But thinking back to 1996 and Gina G's poor performance for the UK that is not always the case. 8/10
May 10, 200817 yr Author Croatia: Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents - Romanca This track is everything I cannot stand about Eurovision. Some old blokes, and a geriatric grandad singing a load of old Mediterranean cobblers, whilst some young female does ballet around the stage. 0/10 Cyprus: Evdokia Kadi - Femme Fatale The girl can sing. But the Mediterranean waltz of a tune is little better than the Croatian entry. Surely a Semi-Final exit beckons. 2/10 Czech Republic: Tereza Kerndlová - Have Some Fun Average girl singer. The tune sounds contemporary Euro-beat meets Disney-lite pop over a Timbaland beat. But it is nothing special. 5/10 Denmark: Simon Mathew - All Night Long This song is quite good. It has a sort of Right Said Fred - Deeply Dippy beat, sung by a Chico look-a-like who can actually sing. I can't see this doing well, but I quite like it. 7/10
May 10, 200817 yr Author Estonia: Kreisiraadio - Leto Svet Oh dear. Imagine Terry Wogan & Jonathan Ross type characters singing over a vaguely camp, but utterly tuneless dirge that is supposed to be funny, but is just $h!te and you've got the idea. Awful. Part of the melody reminds me of the Banana Splits theme tune. 0/10 Finland: Teräsbetoni - Missä Miehet Ratsastaa Finland go back to their heavy rock Lordi type roots for success. Unfortunately the tune is heavy metal by numbers, so I doubt it. 4/10 France: Sébastien Tellier - Divine Is this "singer" a comedian or something? The backing track is not too bad at all. The tune is quite good. But the vocals are rubbish, and the video suggest this is all a joke/parody like the Irish entry. 4/10 Georgia: Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come This track is a bit too overwrought for me. Clearly a lyrical message is being made, but the effect is like Geri Halliwell making a political record. Am I correct in assuming the singer is blind? In which case that will gain her a few British votes as we are suckers for sob stories over talent at the moment. 4/10
May 10, 200817 yr Oh, and Sebastien Tellier isn't a comedian, he's just a self-confessed sex-freak :heehee:
May 10, 200817 yr Author Germany: No Angels - Disappear Obviously this is more compatible than most of the songs in the competition to British tastes. This girl group are alright. But the tune sounds like it was written by a computer, as it it is utterly generic, with little to make it stand out from the crowd as it sounds like a track rejected for a Girls Aloud or Sugababes album. 3/10 Greece: Kalomoira - Secret Combination Slightly Middle-Eastern sounding, but the tune is classier than the majority of songs in this competition. A killer chorus too & a decent arrangement. If sung/performed well on the night and a good starting position, this could do very well. 8/10 Hungary: Csézy - Candlelight A classy tune, vocal & arrangement. But it fails to catch fire. Sounds like a Celion Dion rejected track. 4/10 Iceland: Euroband - This Is My Life This is the sort of track, that would do much better in the UK charts, than at Eurovision. As it is classic Euro-Dance cheese. I can easily imagine another Fly On The Wings Of Love happening with this tune. But will it convert into Eurovision votes, that is the question, as I can see it doing well in Western Europe and getting nothing East of Germany??? 6/10
May 10, 200817 yr Author Ireland: Dustin the Turkey - Irelande Douze Points The lyrics are clearly having a hilarious dig at the whole competition. But once you get past the hilarity you realise the tune is not very strong. Now I would not be shocked if it failed to reach the Final. But I still like it. If only we had Roland Rat representing the UK instead of a former bin man. 7/10 Israel: Boaz Mauda - As If Here An acoustic ballad that breaks into a power ballad at the chorus, but it struggles to take off despite the arrangement. I might be wrong, but I think it will struggle. 4/10 Latvia: Pirates of the Sea - Wolves of the Sea Another Euro-Disco track with a catchy/annoying chorus & a definite theme (Pirates) to the song & performance. But Britain played a similar trick last year and did rubbish. But this tune is much better. 4/10 Lithuania: Jeronimas Milius - Nomads in the Night It is little wonder he is a nomad in the night looking and singing like this. He sounds like a How Do You Solve a Problem Like ... Andrew Lloyd Webber reject with this Musical track. 3/10
May 10, 200817 yr Author Macedonia: Tamara; Vrcak; Adrian Gaxha - Vo Ime Na Ljubovta Oh dear, this is just Eastern European caterwauling. The song is similarly unimpressive. Sorry Boyan. 2/10 Malta: Morena - Vodka The female singer has a good voice, such a shame it is wasted on this awful racket of a sort of Hi-NRG dance tune. 2/10 Moldova: Greta Burlacu - A Century of Love Nice..... A little bit of mellow jazz. A relaxing tune, but I think it is too forgettable to do well. 5/10 Montenegro: Stefan Filipovic - Zauvijek Volim Te I'm starting to lose the will to live. This is just cliched dross. Mid tempo mediocrity that is a waste of 3 minutes of my life. 2/10
May 10, 200817 yr Author Netherlands: Hind Laroussi - Your Heart Belongs To Me A Vanessa Hudgens lookalike sings an ethnic European sounding tune over a bouncing beat that is totally forgettable. Am I in a bad mood today, or is the stand of ESC songs this year nowhere near as good as last year? 3/10 Norway: Maria Haukaas Storeng - Hold On, Be Strong A nice orchestral mid tempo ballad. But the tune is nothing special. Decent female vocals. 4/10 Poland: Isis Gee - For Life Breathes a sigh of relief. A pretty blonde Celine Dion sound-a-like sings a decent, pleasant tune even if it reminds me of Celine Dion's Where Does My Heart Beat Now. It wont win, but could do well. 7/10 Portugal: Vânia Fernandes - Senhora Do Mar A Mediterranean ballad, that does not go anywhere despite some good singing and a nice arrangement. 3/10
May 10, 200817 yr :( shame you don't like Maria from Norway Rich, I think its very very good, and with better lyrics would be damn near perfect
May 10, 200817 yr I'm quite surprised you don't like Norway tbh :o Apart from the lyrics (which could set records for banality) Noway strikes me as very classy :o
May 10, 200817 yr Am I in a bad mood today, or is the stand of ESC songs this year nowhere near as good as last year? Also, if I remember correctly you only listened to the songs in the final last year after the semis, so much of the dross had been filtered out :lol:
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