My husband, who is both a Europhile and a bit of a smart ass, has always said that the Netherlands is the "America of Europe". I've always taken that statement with a grain of salt, but with with each new Eurovision entry I see, I'm starting to believe him.
Douwe Bob "Slow Down"
Alt-country? Alt-country is a thing in the Netherlands? I thought The Common Linnets was a one off thing...
Seriously, this is the first song that I have heard this year that makes me think that it could win the contest. The song is upbeat, catchy, and unique. It made me immediately want to pick up the phone and vote for it. That is what I consider to be a successful song.
If the Dutch get the staging right and the song has a good placement in the final, this song has a good chance of doing extremely well.
No matter where they fall at Eurovision, Macedonia is always on top of national flags.
As I mentioned in my review of last year's Macedonian entry, Kaliopi is one of the best singers their country has, and it's unsurprising that they have turned to her to represent their country again this year.
"Crno i Belo" is one of my favorite Eurovision songs, so I had high hopes for the song she would bring to Stockholm.
Kaliopi "Dona"
Unfortunately, this song is not as strong as her previous entry, with no build and a repetitive chorus. While her ability to clearly interpret lyrics is as strong as ever, she has been let down by the song she has been given to perform.
"Dona" is a marginal qualifier at best and it saddens me to say that.
Ukraine is a country that takes Eurovision seriously. This year's national final, which took place on February 21st, showed that a one year absence from the contest hasn't changed the quality of the song and performer they send.
Unlike the rest of the national finals I've watched so far, this is the first one that I haven't found disappointing. Out of the six songs that were in the national final, only one song was not strong enough to represent the country in Stockholm.
Brunettes Shoot Blondes "Every Monday"
Sorry Brunettes Shoot Blondes. You had no chance. But I love your band name.
Any of the other five songs would have been a strong entry, but only two songs really had a chance to win.
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Jamala "1944"
The Hardkiss "Helpless"
Both songs are musically interesting and well performed and after the votes of the juries and viewers at home were combined, they both received an equal number of points. However, "1944" received more televotes, superseding the judges preference, and Jamala will be heading to Stockholm.
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I was personally happy about the choice because Jamala is an artist whose career I've been following for a number of years, having discovered her after hearing her cover of the song "History Repeating".
Jamala "History Repeating"
I also loved her song from the last time she tried to represent her country in Eurovision.
Jamala "Smile" 2011 Ukraine National Final
So even if this song was weak, I would have hoped she would win the competition.
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Jamala's win has been controversial. "1944" is about the forced deportation of Crimean Tatars from Ukraine to Central Asia, based on the stories of the artist's great-grandmother's experience, and many consider it to be too political to be performed on the Eurovision stage.
The EBU has given the go-ahead for the song to be performed determining the song does not contain political speech. It is the right decision. There is no denying the song is political, but it is not a song that names a group in a way that would peg it as political speech. It is a category of songs like Russia's 2005 entry about American school shootings, Monaco's 1967 entry about the the fear of dying in a nuclear bombing, or Greece's 1976 entry about the Turkish occupation/invasion of Northern Cyprus.
Ukraine made a good choice when sending Jamala, and I'm looking forward to her performance in May.
Ireland hasdone something that they've needed to do for years--they've scrapped their national final and tried something different.
Instead of doing a national final with a bunch of unknowns, Ireland has internally selected an established performer.
Nicky Byrne became famous as part of the Irish boy band Westlife and parlayed that into a career as a presenter on Irish radio and television and has been a part of the last three Eurovisions as the Irish spokesperson, presenting the Irish votes.
So it was a natural choice that Byrne would represent the country.
Nicky Byrne "Sunlight"
I have to say that it's a step in the right direction, this is a piece of pop without any of the Celtic influences that have popped up in a lot of recent entries.
But I can't say that I see this as a song that will win the Eurovision Song Contest.
First of all, the song sounds dated. Instead of feeling modern, this song sounds like it's from the early 2000s, the heyday of Byrne's former band Westlife. It's not surprising that this would be the sound Byrne would have gone for--that sound has made him a decent living. I just wonder how this will hold up against songs that have a more modern musical feel.
I also have to say in the two live performances I've seen, Byrne has underwhelmed. Westlife was one of the most commercially successful Irish pop acts ever, but it was a manufactured group/ These live performances make me think that Byrne was a part of Westlife less for his musical ability than for his good looks. "Sunlight" is more spoken than sung and Byrne has battled with staying on pitch during those live performances. Still he does look good in those leather jackets.
This is no winner. But it is a step in the right direction for a country who has seemed to be stuck in the 1990s when it comes to Eurovision.
