Eurovision 2014 Final Review

Ok, I'm going to cut to the chase and just give my overall thoughts on my favourites, the show and the results.

I sadly missed Ukraine but based on her semifinal performance I would say she'd probably make my Top 10 because of the classic Eurovision-esque vibes I get from it, despite wavy vocals.

Azerbaijan yet again was a major disappointment. I wanted to like it but it just lacks the oomph. Norway nearly landed into this category as well if not for the much stronger song and good staging.

Romania was classic all out Eurovision and I'm always up for some Paula Seling!

Poland's act was definitely worth a "look".

Conchita is an ok winner, I'm not a huge fan of the song but I think her win has more of a point to prove rather than being a winner based solely on music, since there were no frontrunners.

Sweden further made an impact on me, it's rather catchy.

I really wanted to like Germany and Italy more but P!nk lookalike/soundalike just didn't have a good enough song whilst Italy's MV had much more impact.

Whilst I liked Spain I was still waiting for that big impact which I didn't quite get.

Netherlands was definitely my favourite of the night. I'm so happy they did so well having been shunned early on.

Very disappointed for Molly (UK). Her performance was decent, I was expected a bigger vocal impact, but overall it was a solid performance that deserved to be in the Top 10.

My Top 10 prediction after performances were (not in order)

Austria - Expected it to do ok but not that well

Netherlands - Knew that their sudden surge would propel them

Sweden - She was my safe bet to win

Hungary - Whilst I'm still not convinced I knew it would do well

Ukraine - It has the Eurovision glamour to do well

Norway - A soft man-ballad would have to do well

Denmark - It's catchy and a Scandinavian choice so should do well

Spain - Power diva had to make it after a decent performance

United Kingdom - With betting and a decent song I thought it would at least make Top 10

Greece - Greece always do well and it was distinctive so I thought it would do ok.

Other predictions;

Armenia - Thought it would disappoint because of its early billing as the favourite

Romania - Wanted them to do well but had a feeling they would just miss the Top 10

Azerbaijan - Would probably get their worst placement since their inception

So besides the disappointing result for the UK and rather unexpectedly low placement of Greece I did quite well!

The final ranking was rather interesting. At the middle stages it became apparent that there were 5 that stood out being Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Armenia and Hungary and towards the final stages the Top 3 and finally Austria had pulled away. It's interesting that only 6 countries passed 100 points which seems rather low.

Ukraine came a solid 6th after a tussle with Russia. In general I'm quite happy with the Top 12.

My personal Top 10 would be (in order)

1. Netherlands

2. Sweden

3. Romania

4. UK - Patriotism, but still decent anyway

5. Spain

6. Denmark

7. Norway

8. Ukraine

9. Finland

10. Austria

5 Others

Armenia

Hungary

Greece

Italy

Azerbaijan

And on a side note. Semifinal 1 was won by Netherlands, which is rather interesting with such a strong semifinal with Sweden, HUngary and Armenia in the list. Portugal just missed the Top 10 by 1 point. Estonia also missed out slightly and came 12th.

In Semifinal 2 Austria won by a landslide. Romania came a solid 2nd and then the others were rather spread. There's also a huge part of potential procrastination with the split votes and the individual votes from each country but I'll not go into that for the sake of my own sanity.

Anyway final words, congratulations to Conchita Wurst. It was definitely an interesting Eurovision. See you guys in Vienna next year!

Eurovision 2014 Semifinal 2 Review

I missed most of this semifinal so I had to rewatch it today on youtube so the performance might not have made as much impact. Here are my thoughts on it.

MALTA

Firelight - Coming Home

I know it's quite a toned down track but I really think they could have made more use of the stage since it's so good. It's an ok, watered down Mumford and Sons esque, track but doesn't really stand out.

7.25/10

ISRAEL

Mei Finegold - Same Heart

The staging was quite nice and I thought this would attract the diehard Eurovision voters but I guess the somewhat lackluster performance sealed the deal for this.

7/10

NORWAY

Carl Espen - Silent Storm

I loved how he got the audience to hold the lights, it was a beautiful staging. However realistically I was kind of disappointed with this. This was possibly my pre semi-final favourite but Carl doesn't have a strong enough vocal to really bring this song to life because it is a very low key song. Saying that, I still like the performance and I hope it does well.

8/10

GEORGIA

The Shin and Mariko - Three Minutes To Earth

This is just sadly really messed up. It sounds like so many songs being merged into one another. Unfortunately sounds really amateurish.

5/10

Poland

Donatan & Cleo - My Słowianie - We Are Slavic

This sounded slightly crazy to be honest but the craziness worked for it. It's one of those Eurovision moments that only works at Eurovision. I'm sure the suggestive Slavic girls scored it many votes as well.

7.25/10

AUSTRIA

Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix

Personally I'm not too keen on Conchita's voice but she does a decent job of the song which sounds a bit Bond-wannabe. It just feels a bit too old school for me and never really has any moment despite all the grand gestures.

7.25/10

LITHUANIA

Vilija Matačiūnaitė - Attention

This is as messy as I remembered it to be. It's not as messy as Georgia but just doesn't work and doesn't have any hook to it.

5.75/10

Finland

Softengine - Something Better

This is a nice rock pop song but the lead singer could be stronger in all honesty, he is too shaky on some of the high notes. But it's a decent track. If the falsetto was on track this would have scored higher for me but sadly those notes just stuck out like a sore thumb.

7.5/10

IRELAND

Can-Linn feat. Kasey Smith - Heartbeat

As I said before this is a bit too generic to make enough of an impact though the performance was better than I expected and realistically should have gone through over Belarus.

7/10

BELARUS

Teo - Cheesecake

There's an obvious hook that people could buy into but this just doesn't work for me, it just feels to me like Eurovision in the early 00s. And also the tune sounds very very familiar, or maybe it's just too simple that it can literally be overlaid onto any other song.

5.75/10

MACEDONIA

Tijana - To the Sky

This is another rather bland performance that is just too low key and doesn't bring much to the table. It doesn't leave any lasting impression sadly. 

6.25/10

SWITZERLAND

Sebalter - Hunter of Stars

The whistling in this track makes you remember it and the flair keeps it in your mind but in all honesty it's a rather bland track with a lot of stage tricks.

6.75/10

GREECE

Freaky Fortune ft. RiskyKidd - Rise Up

This is ok, it will obviously get its voters especially since it's Greece, they always do well. But I would have liked to hear a bit more Greek flair in it rather than a rather generic pop/rap track.

7/10

SLOVENIA

Tinkara Kovac - Round and round

The song doesn't stand out at all and there are parts which don't work that well but it's a solid track but will probably be forgotten in the finals.

7/10

ROMANIA

Paula Seling & OVI - Miracle

I love the circular piano! Whilst this doesn't pack as much punch as their previous attempt it's still a decent track that easily beat all their opponents in this semifinal and is a good closer to the semifinals

8.5/10

Not really any shocks to be honest, I would probably not have predicted Malta to go through and instead predicted Ireland or Israel. I think Israel's early running cost it as I think it was between her, Ireland and Slovenia for that spot.

So after semifinal 2 this is my updated list

FAVOURITES: Netherlands, Sweden, Romania

Waiting to hear more: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Hungary, Norway, Finland

In it for the ride: Russia, Montenegro, Iceland, Malta, Austria, Poland, Greece, Switzerland

Toilet Break: San Marino, Belarus

From the remaining 6 I'm excited for Denmark, Italy, UK to some extent Spain, I'm hoping she'll blow me away and remove my doubts with her live performance.

Just a quick analysis of the running order:

Ukraine starts the show, is it a blessing or a curse?

Belarus and Iceland will probably be forgotten due to their early running order

Will Azerbaijan make it into the Top 10? It isn't garnering much favour from the sounds of it.

Sweden is just before the break, will it be a good end to Part 1?

Netherlands are in prime position at 24th, will it really manage to rise up the ranks?

The UK close the show, this could be interesting!

I think on the finals watch out for Sweden, Netherlands, UK to possibly take it all.

Ukraine and Greece will probably do well.

Austria will get a respectable placement.

Montenegro will probably do better than I expected.

Armenia and Azerbaijan might fall from grace

It's interesting that Austria is now second for the bookies and Armenia has been pushed to 4th. Good job Molly for staying in the Top 5.

See you tomorrow!

Eurovision 2014 Semifinal 1 Review

Sorry, my posts this year on Eurovision will be brief as I'm currently working on my final project for my undergraduate degree. But here goes anyway.

Having spent two hours watching the first semifinals, my heart dropped. Supposedly the stronger of the two semi-finals I failed to find many songs that I could truly cheer for. Here's a short review on each song. On a side note I love the stage.

ARMENIA

I have no problem with Armenia, it's a decent song. But I call into question when it's being billed as the favourite. There really isn't much in this for it to be labelled as the favourite and it seems like the bookies have caught onto this as Sweden have now overtaken it to the top.

I liked the staging and it's a solid performance but it lacks the "hook" which arguably Sweden had. I'm comparing them as their style of performance and song are actually quite similar.

7.75/10

LATVIA

Aarzemnieki - Cake to Bake

Eurovision has been taking on a more serious tone for the past few years so a song like this just doesn't draw sympathy votes as much as it once did. It's a simple track which might have benefited from the absurd lyrics but next to the more serious contenders it feels like too much of a joke.

P.S. I absolutely hate the shaggy haired singer who sings "A piece of cake".

5.75/10

ESTONIA

Tanja - Amazing

I came to like this performance on the night because of its eurodance sound, uplifting beat and the simple staging. I was impressed that the lead singer sang and danced quite well (though it did effect her vocals slightly).

I was disappointed that it failed to make the finals. I thought they did a decent job but I expect the early, slightly low key, performance might have lost it some votes.

8.25/10

SWEDEN

Sanna Nielsen - Undo

In such a short span of time we have already seen the two favourites but don't you think they are awfully similar? However I prefer Sweden as it's more catchy though I feel the vocals are a bit rough, but by the finals I might have had sufficient listens to this to be truly captured. The staging was also quite nice, actually I liked the staging for quite a few performances tonight. I can see this winning, sending Eurovision back to Sweden again.

8.5/10

ICELAND

Pollapönk - No Prejudice

I wouldn't call myself a fan but there is something in this craziness to like and it was a dark horse for me to make it to the finals. If you remove the gimmicks from this track there are some solid moments and I guess it is this that managed to see them through to the finals. 

6.5/10

ALBANIA

Hersi - One Night's Anger

Sadly for me this was one of the weakest of the night. The song didn't capture my attention and the vocals were off, on top of that the singer made some very odd expressions throughout the performance.

5.5/10

RUSSIA

Tolmachevy Sisters - Shine

I'm not keen on the Russian entry and its gimmicks. It's also rather "low-key" for a Russian entry. However they did ok and deserved to make the finals, it's a shame that the audience felt the need to boo them when they made it through.

7/10

AZERBAIJAN

Dilara Kazimova - Start a Fire

I was slightly disappointed as the singer didn't have enough power in her vocals to truly deliver this moving ballad to its true potential. However I still love the track, the staging was quite strong and, on a side note, she looked beautiful. Though Dilara might find it hard to maintain Azerbaijan's stellar track record.

8/10

UKRAINE

Mariya Yaremchuk - Tick-Tock

I'm not a huge fan of this though I can definitely see it doing well with its Eurovisionness! The hamster wheel definitely added much needed drama and slightly diverts the attention away from her somewhat wavering vocals. Either way it deserved its placement.

7.5/10

BELGIUM

Axel Hirsoux - Mother

I'm sorry to say but I never saw the love for this and correctly predicted that it would be one of the supposedly safer bets not to make the cut. He has a good voice but that's just not enough when the song is bland and he never really truly shows his potential in this track.

5.75/10

MOLDOVA

Cristina Scarlat - Wild Soul

I can't really conjure up any musical recognition for Moldova besides the rather odd staging. All I remember was it being rather messy with the random pulling of hair.

5.25/10

SAN MARINO

Valentina Monetta - Maybe

Whilst I congratulate her for making the finals, finally, I wouldn't say this left a lasting impression. I preferred her track last year over this.

6/10

PORTUGAL

Suzy - Quero Ser Tua

I knew this had very little chance of making it through but I enjoyed the change of pace and the performance was more entertaining than some others. Either way I hope Portugal continue to send acts to Eurovision as they sometimes come up with some beautiful songstresses.

7.5/10

NETHERLANDS

The Common Linnets - Calm After the Storm

My favourite of the night, it might be slightly low key and country but it's a beautifully simple track with good vocals and beautiful staging. What more can you ask for? I'm glad the bookies are finally seeing its true worth as it has slowly climbed the odds. However I hope it manages to maintain its charm for the finals as many of these types of tracks get lost within the big performances.

9/10

MONTENEGRO

Sergej Cetkovic - Moj Svijet

I was somewhat distracted from this performance. It never really captured me though his vocals were good enough and I guess there weren't any major quips from me that it made the finals.

7/10

HUNGARY

Andras Kallay-Saunders - Running

Andras was surprisingly not as strong vocally as I expected, especially towards the end. It's an ok track though a bit overhyped I think. There are some catchy bits to it though and it deserves a spot in the Top 10.

7.5/10

Overall a rather predictable Top 10 though I was disappointed that Estonia didn't make it.

Besides San Marino I predicted that the other 9 would make the finals.

For tonight this is what I found out!

FAVOURITES - Netherlands, Sweden

Waiting to hear more - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Hungary

In it for the ride - Russia, Montenegro, Iceland 

Toilet Break - San Marino

I won't be able to watch the 2nd semifinals live so there'll probably be a delay with my post on Thursday.

My top 2 there are Norway and Romania.

See you on Thursday

Eurovision 2013 Finals Review

Well Eurovision 2013 has ended and the winner is none other than Denmark's Emmelie de Forest with Only Teardrops. But it was definitely not a landslide, as I predicted. Azerbaijan and Ukraine were consistently on Denmark's tail but in the end it was the consistent votes that Denmark got which scored them the win, Azerbaijan actually had more 12's. 

There were some shocking results but by on large the final ranking was predictable. The bookies were spot on this year with the Top 5 as Denmark, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Norway and Russia all filling in their spots. Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands and Hungary rounded off the Top 10. I was quite shocked how well Malta and Hungary did especially Hungary with what I thought was a rather oddball and repetitive track that wouldn't find its appeal at Eurovision.

I am quite happy with the results but I would have liked a shock. Belgium did better than I thought but the shock of the night was still Hungary.

Georgia didn't do as well as I expected, but I think it did split the viewers, from opinions I've heard people either liked the song for its big ballad duet style or found it a snoozefest. Germany also did unexpectedly badly. They've been one of the more successful western countries and I would have expected Cascada to keep them in the top half. I nearly got No.26 right, Spain came 25th but it was Ireland who came rock bottom which I didn't expect as they came last in the draw. As I predicted France, Spain and Finland came near the bottom of the pack. I actually liked all of them but their draw in the final and their rather less memorable performances let them down.

And good for you Bonnie, who came 19th. I don't think anyone was expecting much else. As I said my pre final favourites were Denmark, Azerbaijan, Norway, Netherlands and Sweden they came 1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th and 14th respectively.

We have also been shown the semifinal votes (though I would like to see the jury/public split as well). Denmark won Semifinal 1 with Russia in 2nd and Ukraine 3rd. Then there was a clear divide until 4th which was taken by Moldova. Netherlands only placed 6th, which is disappointing, but luckily they got in the Top 10 on the finals night. Ireland who came bottom in the finals actually didn't come bottom in their semis which is odd since they performed last and should have been fresh in voter's minds. Estonia was the one that scraped through denying the Serbian trio of a spot. Slovenia's Straight Into Love was the lowest vote getter.

In Semi 2 it was Azerbaijan who came first, not the much expected Norway, who came third. Greece came 2nd by just a point. Malta's good run in the finals could have been predicted as they came 4th in this semi but Hungary is the real confusion as they came 8th in this semi but managed to come 10th in the finals? Where did all those voters come from? Georgia came 10th which is rather surprising since duets tend to do decently at Eurovision. San Marino was unlucky 11 and Bulgaria was a close 12th. It was Latvia who came last in this semi.

Looking at the countries that got 12 points and who gave them out the East-West divide in Europe is quite clear. By on large it was countries in Eastern Europe who chose Azerbaijan and countries in Western Europe who polled Denmark. Scandinavian countries chose to support Norway.

Here is my brief opinion on the performances...

France - it was a shame she was first as I thought she was decent and had an interesting vocal. It is a song I would listen to but at Eurovision it didn't have the big stage appeal.

Lithuania - I am still baffled by the reason why the lyrics talk about his shoes "Love and Pain". He is also not a good vocalist. He is also very rude especially his reaction of coming 20ish rather than the Top 10 he expected!

Moldova - An ok performance, at times screechy but commendable. Her USP was definitely her dress and the theatrics successfully placing her 11th.

Finland - My guilty pleasure, I just love the energy of Krista. It didn't perform well in which I think the "controversial" kiss at the end was one reason.

Spain - I like it but it doesn't really work on a big arena.

Belgium - catchy but I just can't get over Roberto's creepy stare, it did much better than expected.

Estonia - I think Birgit is a great vocalist and I like the song but it's too low key and therefore it placed 20th.

Belarus - I think Eurovision has started to move on from these type of acts which were most successful in the mid 00s. I think viewers who still believe that a skimpily clad bombshell will do well are still in the view that Eurovision is all about cheese.

Malta - A surprise vote getter. There were some analysts who thought this could be a success but it was still rather shocking that it did so well. I did like the simplicity of it and Gianluca sings quite well.

Russia - An ok performance but it just wasn't the type of song that would get votes if it weren't for Russia.

Germany - It wasn't vocally great but I would have expected Cascada to pull in more votes. It was definitely one of the better songs.

Armenia - Just no.

Netherlands - It will undeniably split viewers, some will think it's too depressing whilst some will champion its uniqueness. I really liked it though it did need a bigger crescendo for an arena performance, coming in the Top 10 was really the best possible outcome.

Romania - Votes for this were obviously for the gimmick as I can't imagine anyone truly liking this song.

United Kingdom - If I'm honest vocally it wasn't great and the song, whilst decent, is too samey and therefore it was lost among the sea of artistes.

Sweden - It wasn't vocally great but I liked the chorus and it has a big arena feel about it, I thought it would do slightly better though.

Hungary - I am baffled by the support it got, maybe there are more voters like Graham Norton than I thought.

Denmark - I would say out of the favourites it had the most Eurovision appeal about it so it wasn't difficult to see how it would win. Only Azerbaijan would have seemed a plausible alternative. Ukraine lacked the hook, Russia was too preachy ballad and Norway was too alternative.

Iceland - Commentators expected this to do decently, it came 17th which isn't bad but worse than what they expected. Personally I find this generic and it lacks a climax.

Azerbaijan - It's a decent track and generally very slickly performed, it's easy to see how this could have overthrown Denmark.

Greece - I have slowly come to like this, there energy is infectious and at the end of the day Eurovision is about having fun.

Ukraine - Zlata has the voice but I still feel that Gravity is a let down of a song for her to perform.

Italy - Having heard this everywhere when I was in Rome I thought I would get bored of it but it is a decent song and Marco performed it well. It came 7th which is honourable.

Norway - Whilst I like it it doesn't have that Eurovision feel to it, it wasn't a song that I'd expect to win. I was very happy that it came 4th.

Georgia - I think this is one of the songs which suffered from overdose for me, I've just heard it too many times and it began to sound samey however I still think it deserved a top 10 spot.

Ireland - I didn't expect it to come last but I didn't like it.

This is my ranking of the 26 performances and their eventual place in the finals.

Norway           4th
Denmark          1st
Netherlands      9th
Azerbaijan       2nd
Sweden           14th
Italy            7th
Greece           6th
Georgia          15th
Finland          24th
Germany          21st
Ukraine          3rd
Estonia          20th
Malta            8th
France           23rd
Moldova          11th
Russia           5th
Spain            25th
Belgium          12th
United Kingdom   19th
Belarus          16th
Iceland          17th
Ireland          26th
Armenia          18th
Lithuania        22nd
Hungary          10th
Romania          13th


Once I know how the jury votes I would like to update this post, but for now goodnight and see you next year.

Eurovision 2013: Semifinal 2

So another 10 countries made it through in which all of the favourites made it. But the bookies got it wrong with San Marino who didn't make it through. Valentina got a huge boost by fans for whatever reason but I never felt that San Marino was safely in the finals as most voters would have only heard the song once and in my opinion it isn't strong enough to make an immediate impression. I also didn't like the sudden change in key and tempo, it's one of my pet peeves in music. 

This semifinal lacked the impact the first semifinal had but it had an interesting mix of tracks.

Here is a rough ranking of the performances for me.

Norway - Hands down my favourite of the night, but it does need a bit of tweaking.

Azerbaijan - it was decent, good all round. If a guy is going to win this year I'd bet on him.

Finland - I like the energy, it's a guilty pleasure.

Georgia - Slightly disappointed with the performance, hopefully they improve their vocals in the finals but still sung well.

Malta - it's ok, sounds better than I thought.

Greece - I think I'm starting to like it, just for the "Greekness" of it.

Israel - She sings well, bar the highest notes, but the song didn't work for me.

Iceland - To be quite honest I don't get the love for it, he is a good singer but the song is very boring.

San Marino - it's a nice enough song but I didn't get the sudden love for it.

Bulgaria - I was disappointed with the performance because the tune didn't work but I still applaud them for bringing something different.

Macedonia - it didn't work, I didn't like the song but the reason it's here is because I have a secret crush for Esma!

Latvia - better than I remember but still too bland.

Albania - Simply because I can't remember the tune but I remember they were rockers.

Armenia - I just don't like it.

Switzerland - I can't remember the song sadly, all I remember is the "adorable" 95 year old playing the double bass.

Romania - I'm really sorry but I just don't like it.

Hungary - There's a charm about it but it's too repetitive.

Which is why I was shocked how Hungary made it through since they aren't powerhouses either.

My predictions were:

Azerbaijan, Finland, Malta, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Georgia, Romania, Israel, Armenia

I didn't think San Marino would make it through. Israel was the iffy one for me but I thought the jury would save her. Whilst Armenia solely based on the countries past performance at Eurovision.

So my two shock finalists are Lithuania from Semi 1 and Hungary from Semi 2.

After the two semis the bookies have the Top 5 (in order) as

Denmark, Norway, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Russia

Netherlands, Germany, Georgia and Italy come in close.

I'd be pretty happy with that result if we can just take Russia out of that equation, the other 8 would be a good Top 8.

And we now know the running order. To my knowledge finalists drew out whether they were in the first or second half but the order is decided by the producers of the show.

France is leading us off, I fear they might be at the bottom then. Among the first 13 acts (assuming the interval is right in the middle) I fear France, Spain and Estonia will fade into obscurity by the end. Whilst I don't like the guys in this half I think each of them will manage to attract their respective voters. Russia, Germany and Netherlands are the contenders to look out for and Anouk will be closing the first half, I just wonder if watching "Birds" on TV will have the same quality as watching live on listening to the CD, I'm worried it won't translate. Moldova, Finland and Belarus should manage to stay in the minds of their voters as they have a strong enough gimmick.

Bonnie Tyler is 15th and coming right after Romania, I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. The host is at 16th which is a decent place to be I think. The big guns are all very close to the end, Denmark at 18th, Azerbaijan at 20th, Ukraine 22nd and Norway 24th. These 4 bookies favourites will be wedged by Iceland, Greece and Italy which could spell disaster for these three however I think they are strong enough with their supporters to come out unscathed. Hungary starts us off this onslaught but I think they will be forgotten by the end. Georgia is at 25th which is a good spot to be in whilst weirdly Ireland closes us off. I would have expected a bigger song to be put here. 

I'm thinking Spain's early performance and rather forgettable song might spell disaster for them in the finals (I think they're OK though) but we'll see.

I'm supporting Anouk, Robin Stjernberg, Emmelie de Forest, Farid Mammadov and Margaret Berger but of course I'll also cheer for Bonnie!

See you on Saturday.

Eurovision 2013: Semifinal 1

Just a quick review of the first semifinal as this will be a very busy week for me. I watched this whilst working so I can't really comment on staging and how the performance looked throughout.

Overall as only 6 acts wouldn't make it the results couldn't be too shocking. Serbia was probably the most shocking exit as they were strongly among the Top 10 for bookies but I had my reservations with girl groups (who haven't done well recently) and after watching their performance I was even more uncertain.

Slightly disappointed that Austria didn't make it through as Natalia performed decently enough though I must admit her act was unmemorable among all the female vocalists. Cyprus too wasn't bad though yet again quite boring.

I did enjoy Montenegro's performance even though it was not technically good, I just thought it was a catchy "only-in-Eurovision" track.

Out of those that made it I was only really shocked with Lithuania and his song about shoes. Other than that the others were generally predictable.

This is a rough ranking of the performances for me.

Denmark - the easy choice of the night.

Netherlands - It still needs more of an edge to sustain it through the whole song but for now I like it.

After these two the rest were rather bland.

Estonia - a nice and sweet track though will get gulped up in the final.

Moldova

Ukraine - Zlata is a good vocalist but I just don't like the song.

Montenegro

Austria

Belgium - catchy though sung weirdly

Russia

Cyprus

My Bottom 6

Serbia

Croatia

Belarus

Ireland

Slovenia - sounded like a shrieking cat

Lithuania

If I was to predict the Top 10 after performances I would have went with: 

Estonia, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Belarus, Moldova, Ireland, Belgium and Serbia.

See you in Semifinal 2!

Eurovision - My favourite tracks since 2009

Since we are nearing Eurovision 2013 I wanted to make a countdown of my favourite performances since I started reviewing the show. This list is purely a list of my favourites, I'm not saying they are the best tracks or if they should have won but these 20 made the most impact on me since 2009.

20th

In Love For A While - Anna Rossinelli

Switzerland 2011

Finals - 25th

A folk ballad from Swiss songstress Anna Rossinelli fluttered its way into my Top 20 for its simple sound. I thought I would place this higher but upon reflection I think it sits comfortably at 20th. 

It only placed 25th in 2011 probably because it was too low key and Anna's excessive snarling sounds however it still brought Switzerland back into the finals.

19th

Standing Still - Roman Lob

Germany 2012

Finals - 8th

Now we have pop-rock ballad "Standing Still". It fell off my radar when I was thinking of my favourites but it quickly climbed back up when I listened to it. It's quite a generic love ballad but that doesn't stop it from being one of the more successful ones on Eurovision in the past few years.

18th

C'est ma vie - Evelina Sasenko

Lithuania 2011

Finals - 19th

The song is pretty boring and bland but I just fell beautifully in love with Evelina's vocals. I do like the chorus of the song and the uplifting nature to the melody and lyrics

17th

Jan Jan - Inga and Anush

Armenia 2009

Finals - 10th

The song's beat is just so addictive, I would never get to listen to something like this without Eurovision and I absolutely loved it. I would love to hear more tracks that meld traditional culture with a modern sound.

16th

What About My Dreams - Kati Wolf

Hungary 2011

Finals - 22nd

This pop anthem of a song was one of my favourites in 2011. There are a few pitch problems but I just like the energy. This would have been the perfect Eurovision song a decade or two ago but of late Eurovision has really disregarded the "divas".

15th

Haba Haba - Stella Mwangi

Norway 2011

Semifinals 1 - 17th

This sweet and happy little song split viewers in 2011. I do agree that Stella's vocals weren't the best but I like the simplicity and the meaning of the song it just invites you to dance along with it. The claims of copying Waka Waka were just laughable, because those people just linked the song name and the African beats and said this was copying the latter.

14th

Milim - Harel Skaat

Israel 2010

Finals - 14th

You can probably tell the style of music I prefer by now. Milim is just such a beautiful ballad. The Hebrew lyrics also give this song an extra tonal quality that is quite interesting.

13th

La Voix - Malena Ernman

Sweden 2009

Finals - 21st

I just found this so captivating despite some very questionable moments. Looking back at the video Malena has quite a creepy gaze. But let this teach the Romanian entry this year how to meld operatic singing with a pop track.

12th

Allez Ola Ole - Jessy Matador

France 2010

Finals - 12th

This song isn't well sung or necessarily well written but it has an energy that invites you to dance along with it and when a song can do that in a crowded stadium I think it's worth commendation.

11th

Kuula - Ott Lepland

Estonia 2012

Finals - 6th

There's something very beautiful about this track. I love how Ott pronounces Kuula, there's something very heartfelt and vulnerable in the performance and the vocals. Even though I didn't understand a word the song still managed to instigate an emotion.

10th

Me and My Guitar - Tom Dice

Belgium 2010

Finals - 6th

This is just a simple track about one guy and his struggles with his passion but it managed to shine through among all the polished pop tracks that adorn every face of Eurovision.

9th

Euphoria - Loreen

Sweden 2012

Finals - 1st

I can't deny Euphoria was the most distinctive and memorable track of Eurovision 2012. I wasn't a huge fan of it at first but the more I listen to it the more addictive it becomes.

8th

Quedate conmigo - Pastora Soler

Spain 2012

Finals - 10th

I love it when the performance is purely about the vocal and Pastora absolutely smashed it. Sadly she was fighting an uphill battle as there was an even bigger belter that year!

7th

Randajad - Urban Symphony

Estonia 2009

Finals - 6th

A hypnotic track, it is distinctive to all the ballads and pop tracks and easily one of my favourites. The whole performance works - another fine performance from Estonia.

6th

Et s'il fallait le faire - Patricia Kaas

France 2009

Finals - 8th

This low key track is performed beautifully by Patricia. I love the emotion she gives. However I do think the song needs a stronger melody at the end but Patricia makes the performance work.


 

5th

Taken by a Stranger - Lena

Germany 2011

Finals - 10th

Out of Lena's two attempts I much prefer the more alternative Taken by a Stranger over Satellite however I agree that Taken by a Stranger isn't right for Eurovision but I think it was chosen more so that there wouldn't be any comparison between the two tracks and shows Lena's musical development since the bubblegum pop track of Satellite.

 

4th

This is my Life - Anna Bergendahl

Sweden 2010

Semifinals 2 - 11th

I'm amazed how this song did not make the finals, the song is so sweet whilst Anna's performance gave it the edge it needed, though she sounded slightly nervous. It was my favourite that year so I was gutted that I couldn't see it in the final.

3rd

Suus - Rona Nishliu

Albania 2012

Finals - 5th

If we were discussing which vocalist managed to blow the house down with their singing you can't miss Rona. Love it or hate it Rona belted out Suus and made everyone (everything) take notice. It was easily my favourite entry that year because it is such an emotional song sung with passion by Rona.

2nd

Playing with Fire - Paula Seling and Ovi

Romania 2010

Finals - 3rd

Not the best vocally nor the best track but Playing With Fire hit it just right that it's one of the most memorable songs of Eurovision of late.

1st

Fairytale - Alexander Rybak

Norway 2009

Finals - 1st



The reason why Fairytale makes it to the top is simply because its now synonymous with Eurovision. The first song I think of when I think of Eurovision is this and because of that it has to be Number 1 on the list.

I hope you enjoyed that run through, see you in two weeks for Eurovision 2013.