Eurovision 2017: Serbia

I am going to damn the Serbian entry with faint praise.

Tijana Bogićević   "In Too Deep"

There's a part of the song that sounds like Katy Perry's song "Firework".   Other than that, the song is forgettable.

Despite that, "In Too Deep" is likely to qualify for the finals.  That comes down to shared musical tastes that Serbia has with a number of neighbors that are in this semifinal.  Macedonia and Croatia are part of the shared musical community of the former Yugoslavia and Austria has a large ex-Yugoslav emigrant community.    So, this song will likely make the final while other, more interesting songs will not qualify.

it's one of the things that makes me really enjoy Eurovision.   It's not always just about the quality of the songs, but also about the cultural connections that countries have with each other.

Eurovision 2017: Austria

Austria's entry is rather nice.

Nathan Trent   "Running On Air"

The Jack Johnson sound that Trent is performing is pretty nice.    Very radio friendly.

The problem is that this song is pretty nice and very radio friendly.   There isn't anything that makes me think the song will translate well on the stage in Kyiv and that's a nail in the coffin for Austria's chances in making the final.

Austria doesn't have any musical allies at Eurovision, so to make it to Saturday night there has to be something special about the performance.   Three minutes of perfectly pleasant pop isn't going to make people pick up the phone.

Eurovision 2017: Latvia

Finally, I'm at the end of the First Semifinal and Latvia will be closing out the song contest.  They've been having a renaissance at Eurovision over the past few years, and Triana Park are hoping to help their country qualify for the third straight year.

Triana Park   "Line"

God bless them.   They have been trying to represent Latvia in Eurovision since 2008 and they made it on their sixth attempt.

With the placement at the end of the semifinal and their unique sound will allow this to sail into the final,  That's great for a country that couldn't qualify for years--consistently being at the bottom of their given semifinal.

Even though this is going to easily qualify, I hate the song.   My dislike of the song comes down to the lead singer.  There should be an energy brought to the song and a charismatic lead vocalist can do that.  Agnese Rakovska doesn't seem to have that charisma.   Throughout her entire performance, Rakovska is disconnected from the audience.   When you combine that weakness with the slight, pitchy vocals in the performance, it makes me not warm to the song.

 

Eurovision 2017: Armenia

I know it's a terrible thing to say, but Armenia has taken the place of Turkey in this year's Eurovision Song Contest by sending Artsvik and her song "Fly With Me".

Artsvik   "Fly With Me"

You can trace this ethnic sound back to Sertab Erener and her winning song in 2003.   This eastern sound was omnipresent at Eurovision for a number of years in the mid-2000s.   After 10 years, this comes acrossas different and rather appealing.

Because this type of song has been out of style for so long, "Fly With Me" catches your ear and stands out from all the other songs in the contest.   The staging will be visually interesting and this should make it to the final.

Eurovision 2017: Slovenia

I have not been waiting to type these words.   Slovenia is a country I root for in the Eurovision Song Contest, but I have to say the following:

Slovenia has sent the worst song in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Omar Naber   "On My Way"

This style of song is completely out of style and Naber's earnestness makes the song seem even more dated.   Had this been performed in the early 1990s, this song would have been a top five placement.  This isn't the early 1990s and it's just dreary.

Eurovision 2017: Czech Republic

I always root for the underdog and the Czech Republic is the biggest Eurovision underdog.   They have only made the finals once and have had the cruel distinction of receiving "nul points' in a semifinal.

I want the Czech Republic to succeed and I want them to succeed spectacularly.

I don't think the Czech Republic will do so this year.

Martina Bárta  "My Turn"

I hate to dismiss this as a filler song, but it is.   This smoky jazzy ballad is going to be swallowed up on the stage in Kyiv and the Czech Republic doesn't have any friends who vote for it.  This is one of the few songs this year that I can say for certain has no chance of qualifying for the final.  

That said, this song is one that I personally love and "My Turn" has made me listen to more of her music.   She has been in jazz bands, plays the French horn, and just comes off as being cool.   She may not have voting success in Kyiv, but I would spend the money to see her in concert or buy one of her CDs.

Eurovision 2017: Iceland

Could a song be too cool to succeed at the Eurovision Song Contest?

Svala   "Paper"

Svala is a musical name in Iceland.  She has been active in the Icelandic music industry since the mid-80s and   She is currently a judge on the Icelandic verison of "The Voice" and she splits her time between Iceland and Los Angeles.

Svala brings that cross-continent vibe to Eurovision and I suspect the 80s style lighting and art pop fashions are choices that are not going to translate well to the viewing public.   I like the personal style she brings but I suspect they are going to be too niche to appeal to the wider audience.  This is not going to qualify when lesser quality songs will succeed.