We are back for another season of Eurovision, and this year we are heading to Malmรถ, Sweden ๐ธ๐ช. As countries begin to select their songs, I'm going to do a brief recap of what I think of the 'current' songs.
For this recap, I'm going to chat about (in no particular order): Norway ๐ณ๐ด, Malta ๐ฒ๐น, Spain ๐ช๐ธ, Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ, Italy ๐ฎ๐น, and Finland ๐ซ๐ฎ.
Like last year, I'm gonna do follow this mode of attack:
Review songs in batches of 5 or 6 rather than doing a country-by-country recap.
Watch the national selection final (or internal selection) once or twice.
Not constantly listen to the songs until we get into semifinal week.
Reasons 1-2: For this edition, I don't have time to write 35+ posts (one per country) before getting into the actual contest. Also, what's the point of doing an in-depth or half-assed review (depending on how much free time I have) before the delegations either revamp the song and/or the performance? Reason 3: I don't want to get tired of the songs before the contest. A couple of Eurovisions ago, I noticed that I was pretty much over the songs that were released early in the national final (January/February) season by April.
Kwame's Current Rankings:
Like always, I'll use my cheezy Eurovision meter to rate the songs.
Ohh. The lighting and the general aesthetic of the staging are kind of cool. Ohhh (again) a song that is in Norwegian YAY! So far, I'm really enjoying the staging. Wow! The lead singer is an AMAZING vocalist, and I could listen to her all day. Although I'm getting a little vertigo with the rotating camera work, I'm living for this. Overall, I like the song, but I wish there was another verse because it seems like she is pretty much doing vocal runs for 1-1.5 minutes. Then again, I do like a nice vocal run. ;)
Ok on to the next.
Malta ๐ฒ๐น: Sarah Bonnici -- Loop
National Selection Performance - MESC 2024 (link: ***)
Songwriters: Kevin Lee, Leire Gotxi Angel, Michael Joe Cini, Sarah Bonnici, and Sebastian Pritchard-James
Ok, I don't like it, but I don't hate it. Actually, let me clarify. I think this song and performance has GREAT potential, but Sarah has to work on her vocals and dancing because I heard a few vocal cracks during this performance. To be perfectly honest, I'm drawn more to her backup dancers than to her, because they are on point. Also, I think Malta needs to switch up the choreography a bit because there are quite a few similarities to Chanel's (Spain 2022) and Noa Kirel's (Israel 2023) performances and costumes. While there are similarities, Sarah is not as good in terms of singing AND dancing as Chanel and Noa. Originally, this started out with 3, but I think I'm gonna have to drop it down to a 2. Unless, DRASTIC changes are made, I don't see this qualifying to the grand final especially since Malta already has a rough time qualifying with limited voting partnering countries in this contest.
Speaking of Spain...
Spain ๐ช๐ธ: Nebulossa -- Zorra (Slut or Fox)
National Selection Performance - Benidorm Fest 2024 (***)
Songwriters: Marรญa Bas and Mark Dasousa
Key: A minor; BPM: 130
Um, I'm very conflicted about this one. Ok, for one, I'm digging the 80s sound because I'm always down for a synthesizer. Also, I love how she starts the song off by telling us she's a bitch: ya sรฉ que soy solo una zorra (I know that I'm only a bitch). These something empowering about an older woman singing/calling herself a bitch/slut. That said, the song ends with the following: Y esa zorra que tanto temรญas se fue empoderando. Y ahora es una zorra de poัtะฐl (And that bitch/slut that you greatly feared was powerful and is now a perfect bitch/slut). I have a feeling that this song will grow on my over the next couple of months. Mainly because the Spanish husband has been singing it multiple times a day. Performance wise, I think there is some potential; however, the lead singer's vocals are VERY weak, and she really doesn't do much in the performance. However (again), judging by the crowd singing loudly along with the song, I guess the vocals do not not matter very much. I have a feeling that this song going to be divisive because folks will either LOVE it or HATE it. Since the song has landed in Spotify's Top 50 Global Viral Tracks list, clearly there is something there that I'm missing. Maybe I'll find out what it is over the next few months.
Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ:โalyona alyona & Jerry Heil -- Teresa & Maria
National Selection Performance - Vidbir 2024 (link ***)
Songwriters: alyona alyona, Anton Chilibi, Ivan Klymenko, and Jerry Heil
Key: G minor; BPM: 114
Ok, I'm bopping my head. The beat is nice, and Jerry's vocals are so soothie. Ugh, I already know that i'm not a fan of Aloyna's rap. Isn't this the 3rd year in a row that Ukraine has sent a song with rap/spoken word? Eh, I guess if it ain't broke then you don't need to fix it. While the spoken word/rap part is not my cup of tea, I think it does elevate the song by giving it a bit of contrast with Jerry Heil's amazing vocals. Although the song doesn't 100% work for me, it definitely will qualify and probably land in the top 10. At his point in ESC history, Ukraine is definitely is a top dog in this contest.
On to another strong contender in ESC.
Italy ๐ฎ๐น: Angelina Mango -- La Noia (The Boredom)
National Selection Performance -Sanremo 2024 (link: ***)
Songwriters: Angelia Mango, Dario Faini, and Francesca Calearo
Key: D minor; BPM: 114 (hmm, it seemed little faster)
What?!!! Italy is sending a woman to Eurovision.The last time Italy sent a woman to Eurovision was back in 2016. Ok, the song is kinda meh for me. I'm can groove to the song because of the Latin-esque vibes, but nothing is really making press the repeat button. For me, I think the Italian delegation will have to add more (e.g., a few dancers) to this performance for a little more umph. Song aside, the Sanremo's stage and lighting are beautiful. Vocally, I think Angelia is fine (although she was a bit breathy). Then again, maybe Angelia was going for the breathy effect. Even as is, this song will do pretty well in ESC because Italy is one of those countries that can do not do wrong in the contest.
Finland ๐ซ๐ฎ : Windows95man -- No Rules
National Selection Performance - Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (link: ***)
Songwriters: Henri Piispanen, Jussi Roine, Teemu Keisteri
Key: B; BPM: 160
What the hell? It has a nice groovy beat and an uplifting message. Although my first impression is a bit negative, I can kinda see the song (not the performance) growing on me. For me, the performance is a bit too erratic. Also, I think the song is kind of mid, so they are upping the shock value with their costumes and staging. But hey, if you cannot do this sort of stuff at Eurovision, where can you do it? Question: Since Eurovision does not allow product placement in its performances, will Windows95man be able to wear his Windows 95 T-shirt on stage.
Up Next:
That's it for now, let's see what the next batch of songs will bring. Looking at the national selection final calendar, it looks like the next batch of songs will include: Germany ๐ฉ๐ช, Moldova ๐ฒ๐ฉ, Estonia ๐ช๐ช, Denmark ๐ฉ๐ฐ, and Lithuania ๐ฑ๐น.
