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  "Celebrate" is a terrible song with staging ten years out of date and completely intimidated by the audience.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: Montenegro

Pretty, ain't it?

Montenegro made it to the finals for the first time last year and they're hoping lightning strikes twice with their entry sung by Knez. 

Knez   "Adio"

"Adio" is a traditional Balkan ballad sung by Knez, a performer who has had a 20 year career in the region.   The song has a golden pedigree, with both music and lyrics by one of the most successful participants in Eurovision, Željko Joksimović.  This should give "Adio" a chance to make it to the finals.

However, I don't think as it is now, "Adio" will make it to Saturday night.

If you take a look at the successful male Balkan ballads at Eurovision, there's an aura of polished quality behind them:

Sergej Ćetković  "Moj svijet"   Montenegro  2014

 Željko Joksimović   "Lane moje"   Serbia and Montenegro   2004

Dino Merlin   "Love in Rewind"  Bosnia/Herzegovina  2011

Unfortunately, in the form it is in now, Knez and "Adio" don't have that quality.  In the video, Knez is squeezed into clothing that would look stupid on someone 20 years younger than he is and he's backed up by a group of Kardashian clones.   It's trashy attempting with all of its might to be classy.

Of course, my opinion can change once I see the performance come the night of the first semifinal, but as of right now, Montenegro's song is a big disappointment.

Countries In Review: Bulgaria

Eurovision  is starting up again, so it's high time for me to take a look at the next country on my list--Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is one of the world's most important producers of rose oil.

As of right now, it's unknown if Bulgaria will be participating in next year's Eurovision Song
Contest.   Due to a combination of political and financial issues, the Bulgarian national broadcaster has not been able to finalize their participation in Vienna and has been given extra time by the European Broadcasting Union to make a decision on entering.

I would love to see Bulgaria back at Eurovision after a year's absence, but unlike other countries that have returned this year, I can certainly understand if the Bulgarians decided to opt out.  Unlike Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria has a rather dire  Eurovision record.

In the nine years Bulgaria sent a song to Eurovision, they only made it to the Eurovision finals once:

 Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov   "Water"  2007

Bulgaria hit the sweet spot in 2007--a pseudo-ethnic number in a year were pseudo-ethnic numbers were few and far between.  That, combined with Elitsa and Stoyan's obvious talents on percussion, got them to fifth place in Helsinki.

But other than that success, Bulgarian songs have died in the semifinals:

Sometimes, it's very obvious why they failed, such as Bulgaria's entry in 2009:

Krassimir Avramov   "Illusion"   2009

It's a train wreck of off-tune singing, bad costuming, strange dancing, and insane musical style mash ups.  It's like they threw all the cliches for Eurovision songs into a blender and came up with this song.  It's terrible, but it is amazingly so. 

Most countries have had this experience, sending a song that is completely off the wall and not being able to leave the semifinals.   However, Bulgaria has a problem in sending good songs with excellent performances that are stranded once votes come in from across Europe.

Poli Genova   "Na inat"   2011

Sofi Marinova    "Love Unlimited"  2012

In 2011 and 2012, Bulgaria sent two strong performers who gave superb performances yet failed to excite the voters.

This is where you have question the EBU's assertion that there is no "political" voting in Eurovision.   Unlike Bulgaria's neighbors, Bulgaria doesn't automatically receive points because of common cultural or musical ties.   That means it has to overcome a barrier that other countries rarely have to deal with.

It's not necessarily fair, but it is the nature of the contest.

I hope Bulgaria does return to Eurovision next year and I hope they are able to bring a song and performer that will blow us away.  After all, Austria won last year.

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And for the record, my personal ranking of Bulgaria's entrants:

1. “Na inat”   Poli Genova   2011

2.  “Love Unlimited”   Sofi Marinova   2012

3.   “Angel si ti”   Miro   2010   Shockingly good, but the white leather is laughable.

4.   “Let Me Cry”   Mariana Popova  2006   Very good singer, somewhat let down by the staging (and the weird guy with the bleached hair).

5.   “Water”   Elitsa & Stoyan   2007

6.   “Lorraine”   Kaffe   2005    I can't even talk about how bad the lyrics are...  Oh dear lord...

7.   “Samo shampioni”   Elitsa & Stoyan   2013   Never go back to Eurovision with the same basic song you sent before.  It's not going to be successful.

8.   “DJ. Take Me Away”   Deep Zone & Balthazar   2008   This was their follow up to Elitsa
& Stoyan?
9.  “Illusion”   Krassimir Avramov   2009

Countries in Review: Bosnia/Herzegovina (part 2)

The Stari Mostar is perhaps the most recognizable landmarks of Bosnia/Herzegovina.

When looking back at my top five choices of Bosnian songs, one thing connects them all--compelling performances by their lead singer.  Having had twelve years of musical training in choral groups, I have major respect for performers who have actual talent in being able to present a song effectively.

5.  Maja Tatić   "Na jastuku za dvoje"   2002

I have a confession to make.  I love female singers from the Balkans with husky, powerful voices and Maja Tatić fits very much in that mold.  The song may be subpar and her styling disappointing, but I could listen to her sing the phone book.  Anybody know if there's a recording of Maja Tatić singing the phone book?  I'll buy it from you.

4.  Hari Mata Hari   "Lejla"   2006

Hara Mata Hari took Bonsia to their best placement at Eurovision, a third place finish.  It's an good example of the "Balkan Ballad".  I only have one big problem, and that's because it is a Željko Joksimović song.    Joksimović is and extremely successful Serbian singer--coming in second and third at Eurovision.   Hari Varešanović, the lead singer of Hari Mata Hari, is a good singer, but he's no  Joksimović

3.  Davorin Popović   "Dvadaset prvi vijek"   1995

This song was never going to win Eurovision.  It feels weird and dated and probably felt that when it was performed on stage in Dublin.   But even with that criticism, it's easy to see how Popović is considered a musical legend back in his home country.  Popović's ability to interpret lyric is something that comes across even though he is singing in Serbo-Croatian.    It wasn't going to win, especially since it followed the eventual winner of the 1995 contest.  However, this song is a nice feather in the cap for Popović--a quality international moment to top off a very successful career.

2.  Regina   "Bistra Voda"   2009

Although this song came in a disappointing ninth in 2009, this is one of the Eurovision songs and performances that has aged quite well over time.  It's a great example of song style, performance, and staging that comes out of the region and how amazing and effective they can be when everything works well together.  I just wish that they had some better camera work--at times it's very static.

1.  Dino Merlin   "Love In Rewind"  2011

This song is an earworm and it's the rare earworm I don't mind having stuck in my head.  It's been that way ever since I first heard it back in 2011.  The sunny, upbeat feeling of the song isn't an obvious choice for a successful song at Eurovision, but came in sixth in Düsseldorf even from the dreaded place of second in the running order.  Had it drawn a better place in the second half of the contest, this could have been a contender to win in a rather weak year.  (And I would have been much happier.)

Finally, I'm through with Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Next up, Bulgaria.

Eurovision 2014: Finland

Thanks to eurovision.tv, the official web site for the Eurovision Song Contest, I'm able to view many of the national finals in their entirety, and last night's viewing was the Finnish national final, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu.

Finland has used UMK for the past three years to choose their song to send, and after a three show preliminary, the final was broadcast on February 1st.

Watching Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, the Finnish national final, I feel like I've been sucked into a world where things don't make much sense, starting off with the opening number.

It's like a black comedy version of an Olympic opening number--colorful, confusing, and really foreign.  It's not bad--just very Finnish.

The songs were confounding as well.  I still can't figure out why some of these songs were in the final of the Finnish national final.

MadCraft  "Shining Bright"

I hadn't realized that skater culture had a following in Finland, and MadCraft is aping the look and feel of skater punk bands like Blink-182.

Nor had I realized that punk girl groups were still alive in Finland.

MIAU  "God/Drug"

Hukka ja Mama  "Selja"

And I have no clue what this is--Finnish folk country?  Or just the song to accompany one of my pizza induced dreams...

But when all was said and done, the Finnish jury and public chose the most commercial song in the finals

Softengine  "Something Better"

It's a rock song that doesn't sound dissimilar to something Coldplay or U2 might have performed about five years ago and feels very much like this song from the 2011 contest.

A Friend in London  "New Tomorrow"  Denmark 2011

Denmark did quite well with their rock anthem, coming in fifth back in 2011, and Finland has a chance to do the same with Softengine.

The only thing they need to work on is their performance.  There's a lack of energy in "Something Better" that makes the song feel generic.  With a little bit of work on the presentation of the song, I could see this finishing quite well on the night of the finals.

Eurovision 2013: Georgia

I cannot believe that I'm going to say this.  I really like the Georgian entry.

Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani   "Waterfall"

I'll be the first to admit that this is a very calculated choice by the Georgian broadcaster, GPB.   They got the composer of the winning entry from last year, Thomas G:son, and looked at the staging of the winner from two years ago and came up with this song.

Usually I would deride this sort of thing, but the choice of Tatishvili & Gelovani have something that Eurovision duets in previous years tend not to have--chemistry.

If you take a look back a prior years' duets, the singers feel like they're singing in different worlds. 

 

Chanée and N'evergreen   "In A Moment Like This"   Denmark   2010

 

 

Ell and Nikki   "Running Scared"   Azerbaijan   2011

 

 

Greta Salóme & Jónsi   "Never Forget"   Iceland   2012

You may feel differently, but I feel that there was no connection between the singers in the three songs I've posted above, while the Georgian entry has that connection.  It looks like the two actually like each other.  For me, that goes a long way to sell the song, since my idea of a good duet is set up by this song.

 

 

Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers   "Islands in the Stream"

 

Tatishvili and Gelovani are the singers who come closest to that level of chemistry that Parton and Rogers have.  That means I'm flying the flag for the Georgian entry, even though I tend to hate duets in Eurovision.

Eurovision 2013: Austria

Sunshine is a type of shine...

Austria is always a wild card when it comes to Eurovision songs.   Sometimes they're fantastic, some times they are horrible, but most of the time they're out of step with all the other countries of Europe, so finding out what they're going to send is always interesting.

Austria picked their representative to Eurovision on February 15th in the program Österreich rockt den Song Contest. (Which is less fun to say than some of the other national selection programs, but that's probably because I have a good grounding in German.)

The program was rather simple compared to others.  Five acts were asked to perform two songs--the first a previous Eurovision Song Contest winner, then the song they were to perform in Malmö.    Sadly, the cover songs aren't readily available on You Tube, because I'd like to post one or two of them up.  So all I can really do is move on to:

The Winner

Ladies and gentlemen, Austria has also sent an American to represent them at the Eurovision Song Contest.

 

Natália Kelly   "Shine"

 

Ms. Kelly, born in Hartford, Connecticut, handily won the contest by bagging most of the public voting and scoring well with the jury.  It quite obvious.  She has a powerful voice and a confident stage presence.  Combine that with a song that would sound quite comfortably coming out of the British singer Adele, and you have the makings for a winning song.

 

It's a solid choice, but I do hope they have a complete rethink on the staging of the song.  It currently feels like they're copying everything from this song.

 

 

Nadine Beiler  "The Secret Is Love"   2011

 

 

It worked quite well for Ms. Beiler back in 2011, but Ms. Kelly has a completely different look and feel, and the spotlight from above just makes Kelly look rather scary instead of sleek and sophisticated.  But that's a minor quibble.

 

 

My Favorite

 

 

I have to say that shine is quite a strong song for Austria to send, but I doubt I would ever go out of my way to find more of Natália Kelly's music.

 

However, I've discovered a contender for my Eurovision song of the year in the Austrian final.

 

 

 

Yela   "Feels Like Home"

 

 

While listening to the clip, I went out on Spotify and favorited this song.  Her honey-tinged vocals, combined with the drums and ukulele. hit my personal musical sweet spot.

 

 

I can't seen this having much pan-European appeal, though.  I think it would have played much like another song from 2011.

 

 









 

Anna Rossinelli   "In Love For A While"   Switzerland   2011

 

"In Love For A While" had a lot of love from the juries, but didn't score particularly well with the European voters, and I suspect "Feels Like Home" would have done the same thing.

 

But ask me which song from the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest has stuck with me, it's "In Love For A While". And which song from the Austrian final will stick with me?  It's going to be "Feels Like Home".

Countries in Review: Belgium (part 3)



Belgian chocolates, perhaps the most famous in the world.
(It was either that or Belgian waffles...)

And finally my top five Eurovision songs from Belgium:

Starting with number five:

Kate Ryan "Je t'adore" 2006

Before I sat down and actually watched this performance, I had written this one off as a a typical dance song performed poorly and hadn't given the song a second thought.

I was wrong, Ryan comes off admirably and the harmonies with the two backup singers is superb.  The only quibble I have is with the choreography.  Everything that the dancers do distracts from the song (like the fluorescent mike stands) and combined with the lack of friendly countries in the contest didn't put it into the finals.  Shame.  It's a great song and Ryan gave a solid performance.

My number four:

 

  Dream Express   "A Million In One, Two, Three"  1977

This one popping up in the top five shouldn't be surprising, considering I cited it in my review of the 2013 Belgian entry. 

Bianca, Stella, and Patricia Maessen are no strangers to the Eurovision Song Contest, having represented the Netherlands in 1970, but here, along with Bianca's husband Luc Smets, they had one of my favorite Eurovision songs from the late 1970s.  Sure, it's kind of a ripoff of Brotherhood of Man's Save Your Kisses For Me, but the infectious music and the personality of the singers just won me over and has won a frequent rotation in my own personal Eurovision mix.

Number three:

  

Sandra Kim "J'aime la vie" 1986

 

Belgium has only won the Eurovision Song Contest once, and even I can't deny that this is a perfect example of mid eighties Europop. 

 

Sandra Kim was all of thirteen years old when she performed this song in Bergen, Norway, and comfortably won the contest, and it's understandable.   The satin jacket with huge shoulder pads, acid pink pants and pink bow tie were adorable and perfect for the so-called fifteen-year-old, and her performance was flawless.  And the song even ages well--it's good twenty six years later.

My second favorite:

Witloof Bay   "With Love Baby"  2011

Even I'm shocked by how highly I rated this one.  After going through all of the songs, I would thought I would have put this somewhere in the middle.  But after watching their performance in Dusseldorf, I had a complete change of heart and put their performance above almost every other Belgian entry.

I must admit this is due to my own background in choral music.  A capella music was always my Waterloo--I had a tendency to go flat and take down the rest of the group I was singing with, so the ability of the six singers of Witloof Bay to both stay on key and not be cringe worthy--another issue I have with a capella singers--puts "With Love Baby" above almost every other Belgian song.

And finally, my pick for best Belgian Eurovision entry.

Pas de Doux   "Rendez-vous"   1983

 

When "Rendez-vous" was presented in 1983, it was radically different than anything else presented in Eurovision.  The two singers only sing one phrase over and over again over some faux-Asian synth pop.   It's pretty "out there" and it's fantastic risk taking--something that happens very rarely in Eurovision.  And it's a risk I happen to like a lot, and that's why it's my personal pick for best Belgian Eurovision entry.

Countries In Review: Belarus

As the summertime--with its warm temperatures and hours of sunshine continue to distract my judges--it's time more me to continue reviewing countries, and next on my docket is Belarus, a country I know very little about.

I am blessed with having a coworker who was born and raised in the country of Belarus, and I've been lucky to learn a great deal about Belarus--from the time of Rus to the modern day--and she's shared with me wonderful stories and pictures of the country, including the one included in this post.

The Cathedral of Saint Sophia is one of the numerous churches found in Polotsk, and is the oldest church in the country of Belarus.             Photo courtesy of Olga Segelavich
 

As for Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest, I had to do a bit of research on my own.

Belarus hasn't been the most successful country in the Eurovision Song Contest, making the finals in only two of the seven years they've competed. 

Unlike many countries, who attempt to do something completely original, Belarus seems to copy successful entries from other countries in previous years.

The best example of this "borrowing" could be found in Belarus' most successful entry in the ESC.

 

Dmitry Koldun "Work Your Magic"  2007

 

I must admit that the James Bond feel of the song, combined with the interesting dance moves and a rather strong performance from the Princess Di lookalike works really well.

 

But compare it to the Russian entry of the prior year, the "borrowing" is self evident.

 

 

 

Dima Bilan  "Never Let You Go"  2006

 

When the cribbing is well done, I'm have no issue with it.  I prefer Koldun to Bilan and wouldn't have minded a better placement than sixth, which is where "Work Your Magic" placed in 2007.

 

However, borrowing can also produce something that is totally inferior to the song it's using as a template--for example my vote for the worst song Belarus has ever sent to Eurovision.

 

 

 

3 + 2 "Butterflies"  2010

 

I admit I might be controversial, since this was the other of the two Belorussian songs that been performed in the Eurovision final, but this song is absolutely horrible.

 

However compare the song and staging to the following song, which was performed the prior year.

 

 

 

Jade Ewen  "It's My Time"  United Kingdom 2009

 

The classy route really worked well for Ms. Ewan, who gave the UK their best placement in years, but instead of giving the floor to one very talented singer, they gave it to five less talented singers who were off key--making the song ear-cringingly bad.  Combined with a stupid gimmick and lyric that is trite makes "Butterflies" my least favorite Belorussian entry.

 

But that gloss of class really helped.

 

My favorite Belorussian Eurovision song is probably going to be controversial as well, but for an entirely different reason.

 

 

 

 

Anastasia Vinnakova  "I Love Belarus"  2011

 

 

People say that politics and Eurovision are not connected and the European Broadcasting Union tries to keep political songs out of the contest.  However, this song can be seen as very political when looking at the climate of Belorussian international politics at the time. 

 

The previous December, Alexander Lukashenko the President of Belarus, won his fourth election as president.  His reelection was marred by protests and soundly condemned by most Western countries, who felt the elections were neither free nor fair and the European Union increased sanctions on the president and other high level members of the Belorussian government.

 

"I Love Belarus" was announced as the Belorussian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest a few months later, Ms. Vinnakova's ode to the love of her country can be read as more than a light pop song.  It can also be read as a statement from Belarus to the rest of Europe--which has even more power when you realize that this song was delivered in Germany--the center of the European Union.

 

There's no way you can deny that the combination of politics and pop makes this a tantalizing song, and is why this is definitely my favorite Belorussian song.

 

And for those of you who are interested, here's how the rest of the Belorussian entries stacked up:

 

1.  Anastasia Vinnakova  "I Love Belarus"   2011

2.  Aleksandra and Konstintin  "My Galileo"  2004   Let's face it, I love quirk.  Even if you can't understand a word the singer is saying.

3.  Polina Smolova  "Mum"  2006    A for effort, dear, but WHAT are you wearing? 

4.  Litesound  "We Are The Heroes"   2012   Had they not changed the song and made the group wear ridiculous outfits, this one would be a contender for my favorite.

5.  Dmitriy Koldun "Work Your Magic"  2007

6.  Angelica Agurbash "Love Me Tonight"   2005   Enjoyed the gimmick, wish she could stay on key.

7.  Ruslan Alekhno   "Hasta La Vista"  2006   Why didn't this work?  It should have...  It just doesn't.

8.  Petr Elfimov  "Eyes That Never Lie"  2009  They promised hard rocking, but Elfimov is a low rent Tom Jones with over-processed platinum hair.

9.  3 + 2   "Butterflies"  2010

 

And that's it for Belorussian entries to Eurovision.  I'm looking forward to next year's contest and what they'll send.  Will they be original or will they send the Belorussian take on "Euphoria"?  Either way, I'm I'll have an opinion.





Eurovision 2012 Entrants: Croatia

As promised, here's the next of the Balkan songs--and it's another ballad from Croatia.

Nina Badrić  "Nebo"

"Nebo" is lovely as Balkan ballads go.  Badrić voice is powerful, and I'm all in with men wrapped up in nothing but a sheet.  In other words, it's heads and shoulders over last year's entrant and if Badrić's performance is as good as the video shows, it has a good chance to make it to the finals

Daria  "Celebrate"  Croatia 2011

However, "Celebrate" has something that "Nebo" doesn't.  A sense of fun.   Daria may have been off key and the quick changes may be cheesy, but the spirit of joy and fun can't be denied. 

I have a suspicion that the plethora of ballads comes from the fact that the European economy has been adversely effected by the current European economic crisis.  Belt tightening usually means everything has to be a bit more serious. 

But I'd much prefer happier, more upbeat numbers.  Hopefully next year.





Eurovision in Review: Armenia

Welcome back to Eurovision in Review, where I get to do some navel gazing and rate the quality of each Eurovision country's entrants.

Not only do Armenians take Eurovision seriously, they take their chess seriously, as evidenced by their win at the 2011 World Chess Team Championships.

I have to admit that one of the most disappointing things about this year's contest is the fact that Armenia isn't participating this year.

It's understandable, since the two countries have been at a very uneasy peace after the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War.  The war was over the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, withic lasted from 1991 to 1994.  The region is internationally considered part of Azerbaijan, but with an Armenian-backed de facto state in control of the region and the conflict has kept the region unstable since and has consistently spilled over into the Eurovision Song Contest.

But you're not here to get a history lesson, you're here for the music.

Armenia started participating in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2006, when APMTV, the Armenian national broadcaster, became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union.  And like many of the former Soviet Republics, Armenia has taken the Eurovision Song Contest very seriously, with all but one of their entrants making the finals.  That's not something to be sneezed at.

the Worst

Good grief.  Even "the worst" for Armenia is pretty darn good.

Emmy "Boom Boom"  2011

I don't dislike this song one bit--it was my guilty pleasure song of last year's contest, but no matter how much charm and stage presence Emmy had or how entertaining the dancers were, the vocals are tantamount.  Emmy didn't have the voice to pull it off and by the end of the song, all the singers were off key. 

Although I have all the goodwill towards this song, it sadly didn't succeed and it's the reason I had to rank it the worst.

the Best

This one is a no-brainer.

Inga and Anush  "Jan Jan"  2009

Why yes, Inga and Anush, I am "dancing nor par".  I've been "dancing nor par" ever since I listened to this song last because I can't get the darn thing out of my head.

The eastern exoticism with the costumes of the singers and dancers, the fun lighting on the stage in Moscow and their near pitch perfect performance, well, this stands out of the six really good performances by Armenian entrants.

And for those who are really interested in my full rankings:

1.  Inga and Anush  "Jan Jan"  2009

2.  Sirusho  "Qélé Qélé"  2008  Great singer, not enough charisma to take it over the top.

3.  Hayko  "Anytime You Need"  2007  Another good singer, he just needs to learn where to hold the mike.

4.  Eva Rivas  "Apricot Stone"  2010  They started with a close-up of her boobs.  Enough said.

5.  André "Without Your Love"   2006  A pastiche of prior years winners, but still entertaining.

6.  Emmy  "Boom Boom"  2011

The difference between the six are very small; Armenia sends quality acts.  I wish they were going to send a song to Baku.  But there's always next year...

And click here if you want to listen to the songs yourself  and let me know who you think is best and worst.

Next up, Austria. 



Eurovision 2012 Entrants: Bulgaria

I've listened to the Bulgarian song five times in a row, and I'm trying to figure out something to say about it that makes it distinct.   

Sofi Marinova  "Love Unlimited"

I really can't.  It takes a lot of of generic dance track beats and puts them together with a little bit of Eastern European exoticism with the vocals and we get this song that's not going to make it out of the semi-final.  It's just a snooze fest.

And because I feel bad about not having anything interesting to say about this song, I'll post up Bulgaria's entry from last year, and a song that should have made the final...

Poli Genova  "Na Inat"





Why Did You Send This: Ukraine 2011

Usually, I'm all aboard on the Ukraine's entry.  Ruslana's winning song back in 2004 is one of my guilty pleasure winners of the song contest and the campy delights of Verka Seduchka really should not be missed.  Even Ukrainian entrants that aren't as successful are still pretty decent in my book, like the protest song by GreenJolly.

With that said, let's take a listen to Ukraine's entrant from last year.

Mika Newton  "Angel"

Yep, it's the one with the awesome sand animation.    I have to hand it to the Ukrainian Eurovision producers.  They took a pretty singer with middling talent and no stage presence singing an uninspired ballad about angels while wearing a dress with chicken feathers glued to the shoulders and turned it into something memorable enough to place fourth. 

But honestly, would you have paid attention to the song had it not been for Kseniya Simonova's artistry?  Doubtful.

But imagine my chagrin when I discovered one of my favorite Eurovision songs of 2011 was passed over for Brzezinski Olivia.

Jamala  "Smile"

I admit I'm a fan of quirk, so Jamala's "Smile" is definitely up my alley.  But just based on stage presence and vocal ability, Jamala should have won the contest. 

But the final was marred by voter irregularities, so I shouldn't really be surprised that a less worthy song happened to be sent to Düsseldorf.  And it's a shame, because Jamala would have gone down very well among my group of Eurovision fans...