Countries in Review: Croatia part 2

Ain't Dubrovnik pretty?

I love writing about my favorite songs for any country, because these are songs I want you to take a listen to and my favorite five Croatian songs are definitely ones that you should take a listen to.

Let's get started!

5.   Magazin & Lidija Horvat-Dunjko   “Nostalgija”   1995    

You take one of the biggest bands from Croatia and put them together with an opera singer and you get this song.  It is undeniably weird and I find it absolutely entrancing.   It wasn't accessible enough to win the contest, but it placed a respectable sixth in 1995.  It also grabbed "douze points" from Malta, Spain, and Slovenia.

4.   E.N.I.   “Probudi me”   1997   

Girl power was big in 1997 and E.N.I. was the Croatian response to it.  Yes, this performance isn't the greatest and they are obviously a knockoff of the Spice Girls.  But it's good bubblegum pop and these ladies are able to pull of some dance moves in cantilevered shoes.

3.   Danijela Martinović   "Neka mi ne svane"   1998  

Yep, Martinović was the singer in Magazin.  She came back as a soloist with this dramatic number three years later and landed in fifth place.  She has a clear voice with a beautiful tone that really pulls you into the song.  Just not crazy about the costumes change and the sexy arms...

2.   Nina Badrić   “Nebo”   2012   

I love this song.  I love her performance.  But the staging and camera angles ruined the song and sabotaged the chances for "Nebo" to make the finals.   There was no need for the dancers.   The backup singers needed to be hidden and in a darker color and Badrić needed to not wear a sheet.  Had they kept the shots on Badrić and allowed people to connect with the song, this would have made the finals.

1.  Goran Karan   "Kad zaspu anđeli"  2000  

This is how a Balkan ballad needs to be performed.  Straightforward staging.   Flawless vocals.  Karan is attractive and knows how to work the stage and camera.   Wish they had gotten rid of the girl in a bag.  But it's 2000--everybody had a gimmick.

And there's my top five Croatian entries.

Rumors are circulating that Croatia will return to Eurovision in 2016, and like many people I hope those rumors are true.   The more I watch Eurovision, the more I love the music from the former Yugoslavia.   Having Croatia back means more music from a region I love.

Next up--Cyprus.

Countries in Review: Croatia part 1

Back to my "Countries in Review" and back to the Balkans with Croatia.

Croatia used the TV show "Dora" to select their entrant for a number of years.

Croatia has entered Eurovision 21 times, starting in the first growth of the contest eastward in 1993.   After a rough couple of years, Croatia did quite well in the contest.   Croatians were perennially in the top ten in the early in the 1990s and early 2000s.   But poor finishes in recent years (combined with the European financial crisis) have made them sit out for the past two years.

In this entry I'm going to be looking at the songs I ranked from 6 to 21.  Watch for my next post for my favorite Croatian entries

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Croatia's sent two types of songs to Eurovision.  The first is the Balkan ballad, a dramatic song usually about love.  This type is exemplified by this interesting, technically difficult song from the 1996 contest.

"Sveta ljubav"   Maja Blagadan   1996

This song didn't crack my top five for one reason only--the high note that really doesn't need to be there.   I'm impressed Blagadan is able to hit B Flat 5, but the song doesn't need it.  (It did work in the voting, though.  Croatia came in fourth in 1996 garnering them one of their best results.)

The other type is the the female pop ballad.

Vesna Pisarović   "Everything I Want"   2002

Every country sends these sort of songs, and Croatia's entries were no better or worse than other countries' offerings.  Because of this, most of them fall in the middle of my list.

On occasion, Croatia would send something a little different--like this quirky little entry from 2008--

 Kraljevi ulice & 75 Cents   "Romanca"  2008

but you could really depend on Croatia to stick to those two types of songs.

That said, I have to highlight perhaps one of the worst songs ever presented at a Eurovision Song Contest.

Daria Kinzer   "Celebrate"   2011

Unlike a lot of other songs that come across horribly, this one is special because I feel nothing but pity for the singer.  "Celebrate" is a terrible song with staging ten years out of date and completely intimidated by the audience.  It's like the Croatian broadcasted spent the bare minimum to get Kinzer to Düsseldorf and it's not suprising Croatia stepped away from the contest a couple of years later.

For those of you who are curious where the other Croatian entries fall, here's my full ranking of the songs from 6 to 21.

6.   "Sveta ljubav"   Maja Blagadan   1996
7.   "Mižerja"   Klapa s Mora   2013   Cool but not a Eurovision song.
8.   "Romanca"   Kraljevi ulice & 75 Cents   2008

9.   "Marija Magdalena"   Doris Dragović   1999     It’s the most successful Croatian song in Eurovision, but the performance leaves me cold.
10.   "Lako je sve"   Feminem   2010   They are competent singers wearing bridesmaid dresses.

11.   "Lijepa Tena"  Igor Cukrov featuring Andrea  2009   He looks so smarmy and doesn’t have the charm to pull off the Balkan ballad the way other singers can.
12.   "Vukovi umiru sami"   Boris Novković feat. Lado     2005    A standard male Balkan ballad but, Novković does have a bit of charm.   Too much crap on stage, though.
13.   "Everything I Want"   Vesna Pisarović   2002
14.   "Vjerujem u ljubav"   Dragonfly feat. Dado Topić    2007   I like his voice, but she’s off key and it pulls the song down in my ranking.
15.   "Moja štikla"    Severina    2006   Highly ethnic in the ethnic period.  Lots of effort for no real result.
16.   "Strings of My Heart"   Vanna   2001   She has no stage presence.  That’s what knocks this song, when this is my favorite song on the CD.
17.   "Više nisam tvoja"    Claudia Beni    2003     I am sleeping.  The lack of enthusiasm and stage presence is making me cry.
18.   "Don’t Ever Cry"   Put   1993  I have no idea what they’re singing, but taken all together it feels like a Christmas song.
19.   "Nek' ti bude ljubav sva"  Tony Cetinski   1994   Did Chuck Mangione butt in for a trumpet solo?
20.   "You Are The Only One"   Ivan Mikulić    2004   Both dull and off key.

21.   "Celebrate"   Daria    2011  

Eurovision 2015: The Aftermath

Although Eurovision has been over for a couple of weeks, I'm typing about it now because I've finally had my yearly Eurovision party.

Congrats to Sweden.  We ranked your fourth.

Usually I have it a little while after the live broadcast, it's an excuse to have people over, make some interesting food, and have a little bit of fun by ranking the songs.

It's always very interesting on where we agree and disagree with the voters from Europe.

Our Favorite:

Aminata   "Love Injected"   Latvia

Latvia's first final qualifier in eight years won us over with the exceptional vocals from Aminata and the extremely modern, almost avant garde, staging.

It was ranked in the top five of everybody at the party and would recieve our "douze points".

Other Winners:

Lisa Angell   "N'oubliez pas"   France

Even though Angell was placed in the "slot of death", performing second on the night of the final, Angell's passionate hit us in the sweet spot, coming in second our voting and would have received ten pomts from us.  Angell receiving only four points was one of the biggest shocks of this year's voting.

Ann Sophie   "Black Smoke"   Germany

Ann Sophie wouldn't have gone away with "nul points" if our little group of voters were considered.  "Black Smoke" came in sixth in our voting and picked up five points from us.  The sexy staging  and the powerhouse vocals worked for this little group of Americans.

The Biggest Loser:

Elhaida Dani   "I'm Alive"   Albania

I'm always happy when Albania makes it to the finals, but I have to agree with almost everybody else at our party and put Dani dead last.  There's no hiding off key, screechy vocals.

Other Losers:

Polina Gagarina   "A Million Voices"  Russia

Although Russia came in seventh in our voting, the little group I had over was made up of members of the LBGT community and their allies.  Politics caused us to vote the song down our list, even though we all admitted she hit this song out of the park.

However, the booking of Gagarina by the crowd was extremely tasteless.  She's just a singer, not a politician.

Nadav Gued   "Golden Boy"   Israel

Israel may have hit the top ten in European voting, but the ethnopop from a guy attempting to be Justin Timberlake attempting to be Michael Jackson got more jeers than kudos.

The fake selfie at the end of the song was a particular groan worthy moment...

And that's Eurovision 2015.   Now it's time to focus on a move and look forward to 2016 and the contest in Sweden.

Eurovision 2015: Who Will Qualify?

A close up of part of the stage.

The second semifinal is harder to predict because the songs in this final are much better and there isn't a real voting bloc of countries (save the Nordics) that make choosing songs obvious.

So here we go.

The Sure Qualifiers

• Norway
• Azerbaijan
• Iceland
• Sweden

The Songs Without A Chance:

• San Marino
• Portugal
• Switzerland

The Undefined Middle:

• Lithuania
• Ireland
• Montenegro
• Malta
• Czech Republic
• Israel
• Latvia
• Cyprus
• Slovenia
• Poland

So after killing my darlings, here's my ten

• Lithuania
• Ireland
• Norway
• Czech Republic
• Latvia
• Azerbaijan
• Iceland
• Sweden
• Cyprus
• Slovenia

I really doubt I have more than six right, but this semifinal has a lot of songs that are all worthy of qualification and I've selected a couple that a true long shots.

And here's where I make my pitch to any European reader:

If you are willing to spare one of your votes for an American blogger, please send one in for Slovenia.

Maraaya  "Here For You"

I've been a fan of Maraaya when I first heard "Here For You" and my love is still unabated.  I want Slovenia in the final and since I have no choice in the matter, all I can do is ask.

Semifinal One: The Aftermath

Hooray for the ten finalists!

Well, I just shocked myself.  I took a look at the list of songs I selected to make it through to the final, and I got nine out of ten correct.

Here are the ten finalists:

• Armenia
• Belgium
• Greece
• Estonia
• Serbia
• Hungary
• Russia
• Albania
• Romania
• Georgia

The only one I missed was Albania.  I had the Netherlands in instead.

But for those of you who aren't interested in watching the whole thing, here's some of the highlights of the contest.

The Biggest Surprise:

Elhaida Dani   "I'm Alive"   Albania

I'm happy that Albania has made it into the final.  But Dani got really lucky because her final performance was off key and rather stilted.

My guess is that she had a superb performance last night and she scored well with the juries.  It's the only explanation for the qualification.

The Biggest Disappointment:

Trijntje Oosterhuis   "Walk Along"   the Netherlands 

I'm certain that Oosterhuis and the Dutch team wanted to make the final, and the vocals were superb.  But everything else chosen was chosen to make people not vote for it.  The clothes, the camera shots, and the lighting all were weird for no good reason.

Had she performed the song as she had on The Voice Holland this would have been in the final.

The Song I Would Have Voted For:

Boggie   "Wars For Nothing"   Hungary

I enjoy watching the semifinals without knowing much about the final performances.  That means a song that I didn't necessarily rate will get my vote.   Like last year's San Marinese entry, I didn't rate Hungary's song highly.  But when seeing this live, this was the song I would have voted for.  A simple song performed perfectly will get my vote.

The Can't-Miss Song

Eduard Romanyuta   "I Want Your Love"   Moldova

It's a rare song that makes you feel like you could get a STD by watching it.   Good job Mr. Romanyuta.  You made me feel like taking a course of antibiotics.   And now you need to watch it too.

Semifinal One: Who Will Qualify?

Now here comes the fun part of Eurovision week, attempting to prognosticate the choices of European juries and public.

The Sure Qualifiers:

• Russia
• Estonia
• Romania

The Songs Without a Chance:

• Moldova
• Macedonia  (It hurts me to put Macedonia here.  I really love the song.)
• Belarus

The Undefined Middle:

• Armenia
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Finland
• Greece
• Serbia
• Hungary
• Denmark
• Albania
• Georgia

So, after taking a look at the rehearsal clips, my choices to qualify are:

• Armenia
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Greece
• Estonia
• Serbia
• Hungary
• Russia
• Romania
• Georgia

I'm not really good at predicting, so take my choices with a grain of salt.  I'm looking forward to how everything shakes out on Tuesday.

Top 10 Before The Show: Eurovision 2015

As the rehearsals are going on in Vienna, I now get to the fun part of my blog--choosing my favorite songs.

Read on and enjoy

10th place:

Lisa Angell  "N'oubliez pas"   France

France is always a great country when it comes to Eurovision, and I'm a sucker for chanson.   Naturally Angell's song was going to be high on my list.

9th Place:

Electro Velvet   "Still In Love with You"   United Kingdom

I love the out of left field choice of the UK.   It's weird and most of all fun.   Fun is something missing in this year's contest and I hope Electro Velvet are going to bring a little bit of joy.

8th Place: 

Guy Sebastian   "Tonight Again"   Australia

Australia is sending a commercially successful song that is a catchy as hell.

7th Place:

Nina Sublatti   "Warrior"   Georgia

There are a lot of moody young women singing dark dramatic songs at Eurovision this year.  This is the only one that hasn't been overworked to death.  

6th Place:

Elina Born & Stig Rästa   "Goodbye to Yesterday"   Estonia

I cannot deny that this is one of the best songs in the contest.   I can understand why it's one of the favorites.

5th Place:

Aminata   "Love Injected"   Latvia

Latvia has finally come to win, not place last in the semifinal.  It's delightful to see.

4th Place:

Daniel Kajmakoski   "Autumn Leaves"   Macedonia

I must confess that Kajmakoski's work on reaching out to the Eurovision fan base has worked on me.  If you haven't checked out his cover of Yugoslavia's 1983 entry, Džuli, you really should.    It's made me go back and take a listen to his entry that I wrote off back at the beginning of my tour through the 2015 songs.   It's popped up to the top of my replay list.

3rd Place:   

Monika Kuszyńska   "In The Name of Love"  Poland

I'm surprised by the fact I keep playing the Polish entry over and over again.   Simple songs sung well always hook me.    I don't know if it will qualify, but for me it works.

2nd Place:

Ann Sophie   "Black Smoke"   Germany

If Eurovision songs won on sheer memorability, "Black Smoke" would be my winner hands down.  This song has been stuck in my head since I first heard the darn thing, and it's a great one to have on the car stereo with the volume cranked up.   It also doesn't hurt that it's in my vocal range.  Hello new karaoke song.

1st Place:

Maraaya   "Here For You"   Slovenia

Hands down my favorite song in the contest, and they're going to be the group I'll definaletly follow in the future, joining a small list like Anouk and Patricia Kaas.   Have you heard their other versions--the remix with the students of their music school?  Or the remix with the a capella choir?   This song has legs and Maraaya has the musical chops.

Eurovision 2015: Latvia

Right now, rehearsals are happening in Vienna,so it's high time I finished up the tour of the national finals with Latvia.

Latvia has has one of the worst track records at Eurovision in the past few years, not qualifying for the final since 2008.  And because of those duff results, it was rumored that Latvia would withdraw this year.

Instead of withdrawing, Latvia has completely rethought their selection process, and unlike some other countries (Ireland), the rethink worked.

Instead of the weird tweeness that has haunted the national finals of prior years, Latvia's final had four interesting and rather modern songs to choose among.

ElektroFolk   "Sundance"

Markus Riva   "Lights On"

MNTHA   "Nefelibata"

(Well, maybe not Markus Riva. His song is really kind of lame.)

But the jury and televoters selected the best of the songs to represent them.

Aminata   "Love Injected"

She's got a powerful voice, the visual is striking, and all in all, it think this is the best song Latvia has ever sent.  If they can't qualify for the Eurovision final then there is no justice.

Eurovision 2015: Austria

I'm getting to the end of my national final reviews, and now I'm getting to the host country.  Austria is hosting Eurovision this year after the win of Conchita Wurst (as if you didn't already know that).

Conchita Wurst   "Rise Like A Phoenix"   2014

And now ÖRF, the Austrian broadcaster, has to do the delicate dance of selecting a song to represent them on home soil.

It's generally assumed that the host country doesn't want to host Eurovision two years in a row.  Although every country taking part in the contest gives money to the EBU for the right to participate and broadcast the contest, it costs millions of euros to put on the show.   It's currently estimated that Austria has spent 35 million euros on this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

In response to this, the host country selects a middle of the road song that is going to be respected but not going to light the light on fire.

And this year, Austria has chosen the perfect song to do just that.

The Makemakes   "I Am Yours"

The Makemakes have been somewhat successful in their home country, with a couple of Top 40 singles and a forthcoming album.  They're competent musicians, and their performance is spot on.   

Besides, it's the perfect example of a safe home crowd song--it's three minute aural blanket.   Nobody is going to say bad things about it, but it's also not going to get anywhere near the top of the scoreboard.

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That said, I kind of with that the Austrian public had gone completely left field with their choice and selected the song that came in fifth:

Johann Sebastian Bass   "Absolutio"

The well performed insanity of Johann Sebastian Bass, a "electrorococo" band, would have put on a great show and would have been a memorable part of the sixtieth Eurovision Song Contest--going down with acts like Telex and Gypsy.cz

Yeah, it means they would have likely come in last.  But in a year of utterly safe songs, a bit of color would make things fun.

Eurovision 2015: Albania

The first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest starts in less than a week, so it's time to finish taking a look at the last songs in the contest.

Albania chose their winner through Festivali i Këngës, an Albanian broadcast that is now in its fifty-third year.   This contest takes place over a three day period on Christmas weekend.   The winning artist and song are sent to represent Albania at Eurovision and this year, Albania selected this song.

Elhaida Dani    "Diell"

The winning song is a power ballad that features Dani's vocal prowess and utilizes the live orchestra that is a fixture of Festivali i Këngës.   Dani gives a performance that is worthy of going to Vienna.

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However, "Diell" isn't the song that Dani will be singing on stage in Vienna.  

Festivali i Këngës doesn't have many of the restrictions that Eurovision has, so songs are typically shortened and rearranged before they take the stage, and this year due to an "unchangable personal reason"  the author of "Diell" decided to withdraw his song after FiK.   This means a new song was chosen internally for Dani to perform.

Elhaida Dani   "I'm Alive"

It's really a smart move.   Instead of cutting down the original song, which is more than a minute too long, this new song is withing the time limit.   It's also in English and structured to highlight Dani's singing range.

For the first time in years, Albania is going to make the finals!   

Eurovision 2015: Israel

Israel has had a terrible Eurovision track record over the past few years.  Having been a powerhouse nation in prior decades, the 2010s have seen Israel miss the final for the past four years.

IBA, the Israeli broadcaster, is hoping to change that by sending the winner of the reality singing competition HaKokhav HaBa to Vienna.

Nadav Gued   "Golden Boy"

In a year of drowsy ballads, this dance number with a feel of the souk about it is doing to stand out.  There's nothing else that sounds remotely like this in the contest--a Justin Timberlake song--and that's in Israel's favor.

However, for Nadav to qualify for the contest, it's going to depend on the performance.   Right now, "Golden Boy" isn't special enough to overcome the lack of friendly neighbor countries on the song alone.   

But if Gued can loosen up and let out his inner Timberlake and the Israeli team can come up with a visually appealing stage show for the viewers, this can make it to the finals.

Eurovision 2015: Denmark

And now I'm finishing up the last of the Scandinavian entries this year--the Danish entry.

DR, the Danish broadcaster set a high bar this year, wanting to "have the ten strongest songs ever in the history of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix".   That's a pretty strong statement, especially from a country that won the Eurovision Song Contest just two years ago.

So here's the winning song.

Anti Social Media   "The Way You Are"

Instead of having a crazy, anarchic energy you would expect from a band called Anti Social Media, there is a flatness to the performance that is highly disappointing.

They're paying homage to the British Invasion bands with their song and sound, but they're doing so without the energy that made The Beatles or even The Monkees fun and popular.

The Monkees   "Daydream Believer"

"They Way You Are" feels very much like it should be the b-side to "Daydream Believer", doesn't it?

It's not a strong entry, and unless they pull out the stops, I can't see this being an easy qualifier.

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Yet for all of my apathy for the song, after going back through Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, I would have voted for it.  Out of the ten songs presented, it was the best song.  

All the other songs presented went into one of two camps, illustrated by the entries by Sara Sukurani and World Of Girls

Sara Sukurani   "Love Me Love Me"

World of Girls   "Summer Without You"

"Love Me Love Me" is a song that was successful in the contest ten years previously, while "Summer Without You" was deliberately strange to the point of alienation.

If the songs that were presented in this year's Danish final were the strongest ever, I would have to worry about the quality of prior years.

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In other words, you made the best choice you could, but better luck next year.

Eurovision 2015: Azerbaijan

It's really difficult for me to sit and write about the Azerbaijani entry because of my own personal bias against the country.  The naked ambition the Azerbaijani broadcaster İctimai Television has shown since their debut in 2008 is offputting.  

Expect a fire motif from Azerbaijan

Because of their tactical choices (and being from a former Soviet state with a common musical tradition as a number of other Eurovision participating countries) Azerbaijan has been the most successful country at Eurovision, having never failed to make the final since their debut.

Azerbaijan isn't going to fail this year either:

Elnur Hüseynov   "Hour of the Wolf"

In a year of ballads (and there are a lot of them), this is one of the strongest entries.  Like most years, the Azerbaijani song has been written by a truckload of Swedes (who are know for penning many successful Eurovision songs.)    The song is dramatic and generic, which means it's going to do well.

It also doesn't hurt that Hüseynov has done Eurovision before, back in 2008

Elnur and Samir   "Day After Day"   2008

Insane and kind of fun, right?

As for my opinion on the "Hour of the Wolf", I'm lukewarm.   Although the song is well written and the performance is solid, there's nothing extraordinary about the song that makes me love it.   There are no risks taken in "Hour of the Wolf" and it shows.

That said, if Azerbaijan gets the staging right (and trust they will) and Hüseynov doesn't oversing the song (which is more than likely), expect another top 10 result for Azerbaijan.

Hooray?

Eurovision 2015: Moldova

Epic Sax Guy rides again?

I always look forward to the Moldovan national final.  More than any country in Europe, Moldova brings a great mix of fun, quirk and raw talent to their Eurovision songs.   Moldovan entries are rarely safe and that makes watching the national final an entertaining watch.

O Melodie Pentru Europa's final took place on February 28th and the finals delivered some wacky entertainment.  Out of the sixteen songs in the final there were a lot of fun and interesting songs that would have gone over well in Vienna.

DoReDoS   "Maricica"

Mihaela Andrei   "About Love"

Sunstroke Project featuring Michael Ra   "Day After Day"

This is what I want to see from Moldova--songs that is fun, quirky, and something that will get my friends talking.   Any of them would have been a fun and worthy choice to send to Vienna.

Strangely, none of them did particularly well.  Instead Moldovans chose the lamest and most derivative song in the contest:

Eduard Romanyuta   "I Want Your Love"

Romanyuta has been trying to go to Eurovision for years, attempting to represent his native country of Ukraine three times.   However crossing the border to Moldova gave him the win and I don't understand why.  The song is drippy and outdated while the staging is horrible.  

I don't understand how this won, but I do know that it's not getting out of the semifinal.

This is the second year where Moldova hasn't chosen a good song to go to Eurovision.  I hope the Moldovan national broadcaster goes back to the drawing board.   I need more Eurovision songs like this:

Pasha Parfeny   "Lăutar"   Moldova   2012

Eurovision 2015: Germany

The format for Unser Song für Österreich is one of the most confusing setups that I have seen in Eurovision.

Let's see if I can explain this:

1. 1213 amateurs submitted songs to the German National Broadcaster.
2. Ten artists were selected to compete for one "wildcard" spot in the final.
3. The winner of the wildcard joined seven established artists in the final.
4. Each of the eight artists performed a song.  Four were eliminated.
5. The four remaining artists performed another song.   The eight songs were ranked and the top two (from differing artists) continued on.
6. The final two songs were performed again.  The most popular song and artist wins.

I'm not trying to watch all of those things and choose my favorite, so I'm just going to take a look at the winning song.

Andreas Kümmert   "Heart of Stone"

Interesting, it's the German version of Darius Rucker.  Self assured, different, and perfectly nice.  Not going to challenge but not an embarrassment either.

But wait, there's a surprise!

Kümmert decides he doesn't want to go to Eurovision.

So why did he compete in the first place?   It's really confusing to me.  If you don't want to do Eurovision, don't enter the contest.

So here's the song going to Vienna.

Ann Sophie   "Black Smoke"

I flat out love "Black Smoke".  It's getting heavy rotation in my musical library and I'm going to be purchasing Ann Sophie's first CD when it gets released.   

It's challenging Maraaya and "Here For You" as my favorite Eurovision song this year.

Eurovision 2015: Romania

In a year of perfectly bland and safe national finals, finally a country gave a Eurovision WTF moment.    I have been hoping for one of these all season.

Super Trooper    "Secret Place"

God bless you Romania.

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Selecția Națională 2015 took place on March 8th with twelve songs presented.  Like many other countries, the Romanians had a variety style format, so there's a song everybody is likely to enjoy.

Blue Noise   "Love Won't Run Away"

Luminița Anghel  "A Million Stars"

Aurelian Temișan feat. Alexa   "Chica Latina"

I do realize I use enjoy rather loosely, but the Romanian broadcaster knew how to put on a show and I can appreciate that.

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However, after hearing the first song performed, it was obvious that it would be the winner.

Voltaj   "De la capăt"

Voltaj is a well known band in Romania--they've released nine albums and won international music awards.  

The staging and camera work were polished and professional something missing from many of the other performances.

And the song is also really moving.  It's an extension of work the band is doing to give support to children whose parents live and work outside the country--the song can be read as a message of love to a child living far away.

It couldn't lose, and I can't disagree.  This was the right choice.  

Eurovision 2015: Czech Republic

This image pops up for "hair band meets Andrew Lloyd Webber". 

The Czech Republic is arguably the least successful country in Eurovision.

Before this year, the country competed onlythree times, from 2007 to 2009, and never got out of the semifinals.  In two of those three years, they came in dead last.

So it was a big surprise when the Czech national broadcaster ČT announced that they would be entering the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest and would be choosing their song internally.

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Markéta Irglová   "Let Me Fall In Love"

My Marketa Irglova dreams were dashed on January 31, when it was announced that Marta Jandová and Václav Noid Bárta would be representing the Czech Republic with their song "Hope Never Dies". (Which is kind of  an "on the nose" title for the the Eurovisionally-beleaguered country.)

Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta   "Hope Never Dies"

A baritone!  I love a baritone!

If we are talking about the sheer quality of the song, this year is the year the Czech Repblic will qualify for the final.   Jandová and Bárta are both seasoned performers and the hair band meets Andrew Lloyd Webber sound is musically interesting but not alienating to Eurovision lovers.

Plus Bárta is a baritone.  I love hearing a non-tenor singing a pop song.

Crash Test Dummies   "Afternoons and Coffeespoons"

In other words, I think the Czech Republic could actually get to the final, but everything is going to hinge on the performance.

Jandová and Bárta have to have the PERFECT performance during their semifinal performances to even have a chance to make it to Saturday night.  If anything goes wrong, they're doomed.  The Czech Republic doesn't have easy points to earn, so they have to be amazing to even get the attention of any other country.

I certainly hope the qualify, but even if they don't they're still going to be the most successful Czech Eurovision entrant.

Eurovision 2015: Lithuania

Monkey Business.  You can take down US presidential candidates and Eurovision hopefuls.

You have to feel sorry for Mia.

Mia   "This Time"

Mia was one of three finalists at "Eurovizijos" dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka, the interminably long selection process Lithuania set up to choose both the singer and song to send to Vienna. She made it through six weeks of eliminations and had a good chance to win.

Then, after the winning song was chosen, somebody decided to pair up the other two contestants and make the winning song a duet.

Vaidas Baumila & Monika Linkytė   "This Time"

Poor girl didn't have a chance at all.

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As for the winning contestants, this is the best example of hopping on the coattails of Eurovision trends that we have at the contest.  This is a countrified schlager duet--it's as if last year's Dutch and Swedish entries cross pollinated.  It's a likely final qualifier and rather popular in the Eurovision fandom.

I personally hate it.  The chorus is catchy enough on one listen, which is perfect for casual Eurovision fans, but it's really hard to listen to over and over again.  It's skippable.

Vaidas and Monika were the right singers to send to the contest. I just wish they had a less annoying song.

Eurovision 2015: Hungary

When it comes to Eurovision, Hungary always seems to march to the beat to their own drum.  Over the past couple of years, they've had a lot of success with not following Eurovision trends, getting critical and popular support for their songs, with two consecutive top ten finishes..

The Hungarian national final took place back on February 28th, and it had the requisite mix of pop rock bands, dance tracks, and even a former Hungarian representitive.

Kati Wolf    "Ne engedj el"

But the winner continues a trend of interesting, idiosyncratic songs from Hungary:

Boggie  "Wars For Nothing"

Instead of a pop duet with a country feel or a dramatic ballad, Hungary has sent a message song.  Message songs were big during the late 80s and early 90s in Eurovision, but with the end of communism and breakup of Yugoslavia, they became a rarity.

So this profoundly antiwar song is an oddity and a welcome one at that.  "Wars For Nothing" stands out starkly from the rest of the songs in this years contest.    It gets major points from me on that fact alone.

Yet I don't see people actually going out of their way to vote for this song.   This is a song you respect but don't vote for.

I hope the jury vote will get Boggie into the final, but this could bet the first time since 2009 that we won't see a Hungarian song on Saturday night.

Eurovision 2015: Norway

Every year at Eurovision there is one song where I vigorously disagree with the rest of the Eurovision fan base, and this year Norway has sent that song.

Yep, a lead balloon.  A metaphor for the Norwegian entry.

Mørland & Debrah Scarlett   "A Monster Like Me"

For me, this is the worst song of the forty entries.  The twee vocals, the swoony strings, and the melodramatic staging are so repellent to me in visceral way.   I have only been able to watch the clip once all the way through.  Any other attempts cause me to cringe and switch to something else.

However, it ticks all the boxes for a top ten finish on the night of the finals, so "A Monster Like Me" is getting a lot of love from Eurovision fans.

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I personally wish that the Norwegians had chosen a different song, one that was upbeat and completely silly.

Staysman & Lazz   "En godt stekt pizza"

Country techno with rap.  It's kind of off the wall and insane but this song is the only song I've seen throughout the final that was silly and fun.   Eurovision needs to be silly and fun and I would have loved for this to go to Vienna.

But, serious we must be and we have another dramatic duet.  At least I know when I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee during the first semi final.

Eurovision 2015: Portugal

Portugal likes to stick with tradition when it comes to Eurovision and this year is no exception.  The 49th edition of Festival da Canção 2015 took place back in March, with six songs competing in the final on March 7th.

Portuguese Eurovision songs, more than any other country at Eurovision, reflect the national musical taste, particularly the fado.

Fado influenced songs are always popular in Festival da Canção, with this song by Teresa Radamanto being a perfect example of this genre.

Teresa Radamanto    "Um fado em Viena" 

Sadly, there's no cut of the performance on the night, but Radamanto was perfectly polished and professional.  The song was lovely and came in second.  It would not have done anything in Vienna, but it was lovely.

The Portuguese public decided to go a little bit more modern with their choice, selecting this song by a former contestant from The Voice Portugal.

Leonor Andrade   "Há um mar que nos separa"

It is different that the typical Portuguese Eurovision song, which is a pleasant surprise.  A song that has some rock influence is a refreshing change of pace from the typical fado/folk songs that have been sent from Portugal in recent years.

Unfortunately, I don't think that this song is going to make it to the final though.  The problem is Ms. Andrade is the wrong person to sing the song.  The song needs a singer with a rock voice, not the sweet pop interpretation the Andrade brings to it.

If Andrade had a gruffer voice and a bigger stage presence, this song could soar.   Instead, the song plods.  

Sadly, Portugal isn't going to get out of the semifinal again....  

Maybe next year...

Eurovision 2015: Greece

I'm not talking about this type of Greek.

Greece has been a powerhouse at the Eurovision Song Contest for the past 10 years--winning the contest back in 2005 and successfully making the finals every year since.

This year the Greek national final took place on March 4th with a two hour show from a concert hall in Athens,  Five acts competed to represent their country and a whole lot of former Eurovision contestants performed their songs.  (Seriously, the competition started an hour into the contest because they had so many former contestants on the bill.)

After years of sending high-octane dance numbers, Greece has send a straightforward ballad that features no traditional Greek instrumentation.   (It's rather shocking.)

Maria Elena Kyriakou   "One Last Breath"

Athough it's a rather middling affair with a "Bond theme" feeling reminiscent of last year's winner, it's quite easy to understand why Kyriakou won with a sweep of the jury and televote.   The other four songs had problems with either their composition or performance which made "One Last Breath" the obvious choice.

Thomai Apergi & Legend   "Jazz and Sirtaki"

Shaya Hansen   "Sunshine"

It also didn't hurt that Kyriakou is the winner of The Voice Greece, where she was a fan favorite being saved by the audience multiple times.   Eurosong 2015--60 Years of Music was hers to lose.

As for her chances...   Yeah, Greece is qualifying.  There's no question about that.   It's not likely to challenge for the win, but will place respectably enough.  Greece can't really afford Eurovision, so they sent the perfect song to give them a respectable result without forcing them into shelling out money they don't have.

Eurovision 2015: Belgium

I've been listening and thinking about the Belgian entry for a while now and I really don't know what I think about it after letting it settle for almost a month.

Take a listen.

Loïc Nottet   "Rhythm Inside"

The sound of "Rhythm Inside" is interesting.  It's very modern sounding and reminiscent of this huge international hit of last year.

Lorde  "Royals"

"Rhythm Inside" sounds great when coming through my stereo speakers, and I'm looking forward to blasting it when driving down the interstate later this year.  

However, I am not convinced that the Belgian team has an idea on how to present the song in a way that will appeal to voters.   The video for "Rhythm Inside" attempts to make Nottet moody and sexy.  The problem is Nottet comes across in the video about as moody and sexy as a Golden Retriever.  The effect is unintentionally hilarious.  

Belgium is another country that isn't a Eurovision powerhouse, and Nottet needs to be charming and charismatic, not failing at being sexy.   That charm and charisma is there.  You can see it at the end of the video when he smiles after attempting to look moody with water dripping all over him.  The "Blue Steel" look is dopey, but the smile draws you in.

If he can come across the TV during the semifinal as "himself" and not something the Belgian team is attempting to manufacture, he's sure to make the final.  If he doesn't, "Rhythm Inside" will be the quality song that gets left behind for something mediocre.  It happens every year...