EUROVISION 2019

Welcome to Radio Free Järbo's annual round up of every Eurovision Entry in the contest.  To get the expert and witty critique you have come to know and love from us, our expert panel, made up of two of the most intelligent and opinionated people imaginable, watches each of the official videos as they were posted online in the middle of April.  At that point, the field was finalized and the games could begin.  We try to be as objective as possible, but as all things artistic, subjectivity does slip in here and there.  Don't forget to tune in later when we'll have our prediction of the semi-finals and, of course, our live blogging during the final.  Eurovision: it was made to be taken seriously, and yet, is the most fun thing to take the piss with ever invented.  For a sarcastic cuss like me, it is heaven on earth to watch.  Stay tuned, loyal fans!

Albania

Jonida Maligi

Ktheju tokës

There is much to like (the beat, the plaintive middle eastern music, her operatic but accessible voice) all of which makes it an interesting song to listen to.  The video detracts from the song (her lips didn’t sync with the words, for example), although shows it is clearly dealing with an emotionally charged topic.  

Armenia

Srbuk

Walking Out

I don’t think that this song knows quite what it is, although it does seem to start to find itself at the end.   While we like her voice and wish she had something better.  We think she’ll make it to the final.

Australia

Kate Miller-Heidke

Zero Gravity

We say “zero points.”  After sending some really great songs to Eurovision, Australia has decided enough is enough; it’s time to send something really crappy (“and they did” Gunnar says).  Quasi-opera doesn’t work at Eurovision (unless it’s a man singing falsetto).  The staging in the video, which I hope they don’t do in Tel Aviv, is like Glenda the Good Witch trying to scare away the Wicked Witch of the West with bad singing.  It may well have worked had the real Glenda tried using this song.

  

Austria

Paenda

Limits

There is nothing wrong with a slow beautiful song, but this one comes off as boring.  Part of the problem is that her voice is really nice when she is singing in the lower register, but breaks up when she goes into a higher register, and this song requires her to sing in the upper.  It also makes the words break up so you can’t really follow the lyrics either.  

Azerbaijan

Chingiz

Truth

This is a fun song and has a nice dance beat that gets the crowd going.  We don’t love it but it will get votes, especially if, like in the video, he sings it shirtless in Tel Aviv.  The video totally makes no sense with the words, but he is so easy on the eyes it doesn’t matter.  (Please tell me his name is pronounced “Chin Jizz”?)

Nominee:  Best Looking Man.  

Nominee: Best Beard.

Belarus

Zena

Like It

No, we didn’t like it at all.  Well that’s not true, we liked the beat and liked that it was only three minutes long.  Otherwise, we’ve heard all this before and done better.  A tip from us: If you are going to have a song with this many words, then pronounce them.  

Belgium

Eliot

Wake Up

While the song is different and has an interesting music (especially the instrumentals), it didn't wow us in the end.   Will his voice carry in a big arena?  The song may not work well outside of a studio.  

Croatia

Roko

The Dream

The music here is nice and it’s a nice song that will stand out.  It is one of those ballads that builds.  We’re not sure his voice has the power to pull off the parts that need it.  That said, he has one of the better voices, but one of the worst costumes in the video—those wings have got to go. 

Cyprus

Tamta

Replay

As total crap goes, it’s not bad.  As good songs go, it isn’t one I’d care to replay.  Been there, done that,  done it better, don’t want it again.  Even the honey dripped hunks couldn’t save the ridiculous video.  

Czech Republic

Lake Malawi

Friend of a Friend

As it I clearly a song for the younger crowd, it will likely stand out.  Fun to dance to, it isn’t as much fun to sit and listen to.  I like the voices and hope they get a good song one day.  The video shows us everything that is wrong with the iPhone generation.  

Denmark

Leonora

Love is Forever

The naive simplicity of this song is its strength.  Her voice isn’t the best, but she sings the French well—and it fits her voice and the music better than the English lyrics do.  It really should be sung all in French.  That said, it is a refreshing change to have someone just sing and not rely on gimmicks.  

Estonia

Victor Crone

Storm

Another simple yet musically pleasing song by a singer with a pleasing voice.  I like that you can hear every word he sings.  It’s a good song, not a great one.  For such a small country, Estonia has a very deep bench of musical talent in all muscial genres.  

Nominee:  Best Looking Man

Finland

Darude

Look Away

Usually a good looking guy with a rock song is a real turn on, but even though this song has a nice beat it is a bit of a downer.  I wanted more music and more singing.  In the video, you can barely hear his voice over the background.  Maybe it will be better live.  

France

Bilal Hassani

Roi

When a French North African channels both Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson, good things can happen.   The lyrics are moving and should speak to the Eurovision audience that likes the outsider.   It will be very interesting to see how he does on stage as he seems to be a good performer and we suspect it will be an improvement over the video (which is good in itself). 

Georgia

Oto Nesadze

Keep on Going

The eastern most countries in Eurovision often bring their unique musical style to the contest which is welcome.  I like this for the most part for its emotional power, although it seems to speak to the audience in his homeland more strongly than to us.  We don’t get it and therefore probably are missing out on the best part of the song, through no fault of our own or of the singer.

Germany

S!sters

Sister

Except for last year, the song from Germany is usually dismal, so it was a shock that we liked this song.  Their voices are good and their harmony is really good.  While this is not a bad son, a better song with more music to it would show off their voices better.  Still, we liked it.

Greece

Katerine Duska

Better Love

She has an absolutely unique voice but it is wasted on this boring mess of a song.  She is better than this.  The video is totally incomprehensible.  We see in her bio she is part Canadian.  Oh, dear.  Do we need another Celine Dion?  (Answer: No.)

Hungary

Joci Papai

Az en Apam

Hungarian is beautiful when it is sung, and this song is no exception.  The interesting music mixes the best of east and west in one of the nicer melodies in the competition.  Read the words in English (if you don’t speak Hungarian), which are quite moving.  

Nominee:  Best Video

Iceland

Hatari

Hatrið mun sigra

Did we really just watch and listen to  Depeche Mode on acid?  Admittedly we are not into techno-electro-dystopian “music,” but there is little, if any, redeeming value in this song.

Ireland

Sarah McTernan

22

With a little 60’s vibe going on, this song is fun to listen to.  She’s got the right voice for it as well.  Hopefully Ireland can get at least into the final again.  She’ll need to really sell it on stage, and I bet she can.  

Israel

Kobi Marimi

Home

What a beautiful song—words and music—and Kobi does it just right.  He lets the music build and is rides on its wave while staying in control.  This could hardly be more different than the number Israel won with last year.  This is the song they should have won with.  

Italy

Mahmood

Soldi

We’re normally predisposed to liking the Italian entry but can’t quite bring ourselves to liking this one.  It just doesn’t pull itself together very much.  We called it “The Boy with the Cobra Tattoo.”

Latvia

Carousel

That Night

This simple song has a nice melody and music.  The trio of musicians are good with the voice fitting the music.  The lyrics are sophomoric and hold it back considerably, though.

Lithuania

Jurij Veklenko

Run with the Lions

The voice, the music, his stage presence, and the build up all work well in this song.  It’s not the most unique song in the world, but it is done well for what it is.   We like his voice better when he is not singing in the upper registers.   

Nominee: Best Looking Man

Malta

Michela

Chameleon

Yeah, whatever.  Dumb words, inane music, all done by formula.  Within the first few lines we wondered if this was done by Södertälje Fabriken (a fictional song factory in Sweden), and there are indeed a couple of Swedes who wrote it.  Kanske ingen svensk ville ha det till Melodifestivalen?  Did all the Swedes turn it down?

Moldova

Anna Odobesu

Stay

She has one of the best female voices in the competition; most others don’t have the power they need.  And she’ll need the power to do such an intimate song in an arena and be heard.   The song is interesting; the music changes slightly to keep you a little on edge, which supports what the song means.  Moldova always has a very strong entry it seems and this is no exception.  

Montenegro

D Mol

Heaven

This song is kind of cute, as are the singers.  OK, it is a little sappy and perky bouncy, but the voices are good both individually and blend incredibly well together, and are well suited to the music.  

The Netherlands

Duncan Laurence

Arcade

There is a mysterious quality to the song which works well with the kind of voice he has.  The music, though it draws you in, is a bit thin in places, and doesn’t leave you with much of an impact being made.  

North Macedonia

Tamara Todevska

Proud

Wow.  If I had a daughter, I would play this song for her everyday, maybe even twice a day.  What a great song, great music, and a great voice to deliver it.  She nails it.  The lyrics, timely AF, are very moving, even to this all male audience.  A very pleasant surprise, and quite frankly, could be a dark horse spoiler for the favorites.  If this doesn’t do very, very well in Eurovision, we may stop watching it.  (Yes, it is that good.)

Norway

Keiino

Spirit in the Sky

The song has got a beat, some lyrics, and that’s about it.  The best part about it is the Sami rap.  The rest we’ve all heard before.  

Poland

Tulia

Fire of Love

If the group the B 52s drank a whole case of Kettle One then sang Polish folk music, this would be the result.  I hope at the end of the video is the piano on fire was used to write this song. 

Portugal

Conan Osiris

Telemoveis

I’m not sure what we just saw or heard.  Too stunned to even insult it.  Iceland will have company in the WTF competition.

Romania

Ester Peony

On a Sunday

It’s a bad when a native speaker of English (i.e. yours truly) doesn’t know she is singing in English until well into the song.  That’s bad singing.  Not a great voice and not a good song any day of the week.

Russia

Sergey Lazarev

Scream

He’s got the power and the voice and the sex appeal.  What he doesn’t have is a great song, even though it does have some nice musical passages.  The problem is that the music is a little all over the place, as are the lyrics, so that the song doesn’t really come together to a coherent whole in spite of all the effort he puts in to singing it.   I suspect the Russians fielded him because they really want to win this year.  I'm not sure it will, as it is not all together strong enough to overcome the political feelings in much of Europe about Russia these days.  

San Marino

Serhat

Say Na Na Na

Say what?  I suppose you could have fun dancing to this song, but the fun all stops when you listen to the lyrics that don’t really make sense.  What’s wrong with having actual words in songs, unless “na na na” means something in Turkish or Italian.  Gunnar says, “Stick to dentistry; it causes less pain.”  (Serhat has trained as a dentist.)

Serbia

Nevena Bozovic

Kruna

We’re always a sucker for a good Balkan ballad and this song has many of the qualities we like in them.  Her voice is pretty good, but doesn’t always quite have all the power needed for the song, at least in the video.  Overall, it is pretty good and worth a listen.

Slovenia

Zala Kralj and Gasper Santl

Sebi

The music is engaging and the beat draws you in.  But the singing is a bit “anemic” says Gunnar, too unidimensional say I.  They are billed as a duo but we didn’t hear a second voice.  I think the song would have benefited by adding some harmony.

Spain

Miki

La Venda

This song has a lot of what Latin music is known for—the beat, the exuberance, a get up and dance quality.  It is fun to listen to but not exceptional or memorable.

Sweden

John Lundvik

Is It Too Late for Love

Nice song, catchy beat, and good voice, but it is the gospel singers that make this something special.  (Personally, I could have had more of them.)  Their quality takes this song in a direction Eurovision rarely goes, so it will stand out in the crowd this year.  We don’t know if it is too late for love but it might not be too early for SVT to look at their calendars for May 2020.

Switzerland

Luca Hanno

She Got Me

So let me see if I can sum this up.  You’ve got a Swiss guy singing like an Africa American posing as an Argentine singing  a song with a Caribbean beat.   The inane lyrics aside, the catchiness of the tune will win the hearts of the Eurovision audience, even if Luca’s looks was the only thing that caught ours.  

United Kingdom

Michael Rice

Bigger than Us

We have to admit, that we like the song.  While his voice lets him down in the video here and there, for the most part he handles the power sections and the softer sections well.  And he sells the song like nobody’s business.  The problem is that the UK could send Adele and no one in Europe would vote for them, but at least this does the UK proud (in days they have little to brag about).  

  

Eurovision 2018 LIVE!!!!!

Congratulations Israel, I mean Netta.  But it just goes to show you, Europe is weird.   Even the announcer on Swedish TV says, "The odd often wins on Eurovision."  This year it is very true.  Last year, a beautiful real song won, and made the point that it is about the music and not the pyrotechnics around the song that matter.  Now we've gone the other direction, and gimmick over music wins.  Oh well,  Maybe next year....

AND at least Cyprus didn't win.

This is not the result I expected from the national juries.  Very interesting.  And exciting.  Time to refill the drink glass.  Is it time for a commercial break yet?

Benjamin from Sweden just thanked the German jury for its 12 points by saying, "I love spaetze."  (Kathy, are you reading?)

OK.  Him from Latvia was scary, but nice for 12 points to Austria!

Tack Australien!  Sverige behövde 12 poäng!

Very glad that Austria is doing so well.  Needed that bathroom break, though!

That song from Cyprus is hardly original.  What did the juries see in it?

Thank God the voting is over.  Portugal has done a good job, but the interval show wasn't very good, other than Sobral.

Stand by.  I'm sure we'll have a comment or two on the voting.  Meanwhile, Trump could build his wall with all of the bricks being shit in the green room.

Man, can Sobral sing.  I loved that.

Results from the Radio Free Järbo Jury:
12 points:       Germany
10 points:       Moldova
  8 points:       Australia
  7 points:       Ireland
  6 points:       Austria
  5 points:       Lithuania
  4 points:       Norway
  3 points:       Albania
  2 points:       Portugal
  1 point:         Netherlands

Radio Free Järbo is happy this year to host the results of the Canadian jury.  As you know, Canada is banned from Eurovision in retribution for unleashing Celine Dion on the world.  

The Canadian jury says:
12 points:       Ireland
10 points:       Germany
  8 points:       Australia
  7 points:       United Kingdom
  6 points:       Lithuania
  5 points:       Moldova
  4 points:       Albania
  3 points:       Austria
  2 points:       Portugal
  1 point:         Czech Republic


Italy:  Italy sends great songs and Europe ignores them.  This year they sent a weak song, and Europe will probably ignore it.  Yes, the lyrics and theme are important.  But stronger music and a stronger performance would help the message.

Cyprus:  That bookies all over Europe have this song as likely to win shows how much Eurovision needs North American juries.  This song has been over and over again by singers far better than this one.  Nice beat, but the rest is simply awful, awful, awful.

Ireland:  All of my Irish DNA is brimming with pride with this song.  Well written.  Well performed.  Thank you Ireland!

We're taking a little whiskey break to get ready for Ireland.

Netherlands:  Anyone who knows me will be surprised to hear me say that I have come to like this song.  But I fear this song would play much better in the US than in Europe.  Great dancers!

Israel:  She's fun to watch and I know how important the theme of this song is, but I can't like it or support it.  It's basically noise with occasional accidental musical outbreaks.  She can't really sing.  Why does the audience like it?

Hungary:  I know heavy metal rock is supposed to involve screaming, but there is something musical behind this song that is trying to come out through all the noise.  It's too bad.  Maybe it's an anathema to say this with heavy metal, but holding back might actually be better for this song.

Sweden:   He is a great performer, almost a Nordic Michael Jackson.  The sexy hip movements are needed with a song that is this thin.  Still, hard to take your eyes away.  (And no one who knows Sweden believes the opening line of this song "Don't feel no pressure."  You know he DOES.)

Moldova:  I just love that number with every fiber of my being.  Love, love love.  Great beat.  Great energy.  Fun every second of the three minutes.

Bulgaria:  What does it mean when the Americans have the best voices.  It takes more than a couple of American to save this mess, which I hate down to my bones.

Finland:  Just don't like it, even though I want that sparks shooting gun.  Maybe it's the storm troopers that just feels too close to home to be comfortable.

I'd like to see Cesar from Austria do that to me!!

I didn't know Woody Allen's grandfather was Serbian.

Australia:  She just told Cyprus and Israel to kiss her Aussie ass!!!

Denmark:  The Vikings are invading Portugal!  Nice beard but not a great song.  Abba English lyrics.

Czech Republic:   He is so very engaging on stage, I wish he didn't have a crap song.

France:    Je m'apelle "messy"????? Is it a song about being messy?  No, it is actually a song about the refugee crises.  The lyrics are very moving but the whole song leaves one flat.  Too bad it wasn't in English.  Here is wall-building Trumplandia, we need to hear more songs like this.

Albania:  Just really kind of like this song, even if he has the evening's funniest sounding name.

Germany:  You can almost stop the show; he's won.  Wow! (Still crying.)

Serbia:  Look at the shoulders on that drummer!  He must be getting quite a workout.

United Kingdom:  Not sure yet what just happened, but it seemed help her.  She's never done that song better.  A good example of British phlegm.

Oh!  A cute sailor.

Portugal:  What a beautiful song, but I can't get over her pink hair.  Well done.

Norway:  Man, he sells this song like a successful used car salesman.   Not the most intellectual lyrics though fun to watch.

Estonia:  A big voice needs a big dress, but I sure don't want her dry cleaning bill.  Nice song.

Austria:  As easy on the ears as he is on the eyes.  And not a bad song either.  Skit bra!

Lithuania:  Just love this song, which brings a tear to the eye.  Just a lovely song.

Slovenia:  The Irish-American poet William McPhillips wrote, "Only silence makes a sin."  This horrible song is the exception to that rule.

Spain:  Very nice.  Who knew that they could send such a beautiful song!!!

Yes.  We will be live blogging throughout the show.  Watch this space, especially if you need help on how to vote. !!

Eurovision 2018 Complete Critique

Radio Free JarboEurovision Reportage 2018

Here it is fans, Radio Free Järbo’s rundown and commentary of every Eurovision 2018 entry.  

Here’s how we do it:  First we listen to every song in alphabetical order by country without watching the video or reading anything about the song or artist.  As a radio station we think a song must come through just as it is and with just the title and artist’s name.  After all, it is about the music and first impressions are important. We also know the country the artist represents.  (In some cases, we might have known something about the artist before hand, however.) After playing the song we make notes, or whether we think the song is great or is a hot mess.  Then we repeat the exercise by watching the video and reading the background notes on the artist, reading the lyrics in the original and in English, making further notes or revisions to them.  In some cases, it is actually helpful to have the song explained, in some it actually hurts the song, and in some, it hardly matters.

Tune in later for our instructions on who to vote for in the semi-finals and to see the winners of our Best Video and Best Looking contests.    

Albania: Eugent Bushpepa. “Mall”  

Blind listen:  This is a little bit of ballad with a good dose of pop/rock, and enough of that distinct Balkan sound to make it stand out.  Reminds me a little of the song “St. Elmo’s Fire.”  It builds nicely and is fun to listen to.   

Video:  It is rare to see black and white you would describe as “gorgeous,” but this is gorgeous black and white.  Reading the words in English help to explain what is going on in the video (even if it should be vice-versa).  Still like the song a lot.  

First Semi Final

Armenia:  Sevak Khanagyan.  “Qami”

Blind Listen:  This has enough of an Armenian sound to be interesting but enough of a western sound to be a hit.  I like how the song builds from the beginning and the strings that ease their way in are well done.  Would like to know more about what the words mean.  I hope that it is not something banal like scrambled eggs.  

Video:  The video fits the mood and sound of the song.  The shot at the end is the most visually stunning.  We were glad to learn the song is not about scrambled eggs.

First Semi Final.

Australia:  Jessica Mauboy.  “We Got Love”

Blind listen:  I am not wild about her voice when she is trying to hit the power notes, but do sort of like the song.  It has a really nice beat, and while the words are NOT by Shakespeare, the message is positive.  Europe just might vote for it.  

Video: The song improves with seeing her sing it, even if I didn’t quite get or like much of the video.  She has a good stage presence and that could help her when competing.  I think she’ll go far with this one.  

Second Semi-Final

Austria:  Cesar Sampson. “Nobody but You”

Blind listen:  I like Cesar’s voice, especially with that little bit of Hosier action going on at the beginning.  It is an interesting song, even if not wholly unique—at the least not the usual Eurovision fare.  

Video:  I like the clever montage effects in the video, although I’m not sure how it explains the song.  No matter, it is a good song that is enjoyable to listen to.  He is pretty easy on the eyes as well.  (What is it about Austrian guys running around in the snow on Eurovision videos?)  

First Semi-Final

Azerbaijan:  Aisel.  “X My Heart.”

Blind listen:  She has a nice voice, but the song is only good as something to dance to at a bar after a few drinks and you don’t care that words make much sense and care what you’re hearing as long as you are drunk and dancing (not that I’ve ever done that).  

Video:  The lush greenery and scenery doesn’t help the song.  It really needs to be translated into English, even though it is in English.  

First Semi-Final

Belarus: Alekseev.  “Forever”

Blind listen:  It starts really nicely, but the music goes a bit all over the place and the song is hard to follow.  And then, it just stops abruptly.  Too bad, because there are parts where I think the song brings out the best of his voice.  I wonder what else he has done that is potentially better this this.

Video:  I liked it a little better with the video.  It doesn’t really explain the song, but it is better when you see him singing it.  

First Semi-Final

Belgium: Sennek.  “A Matter of Time”

Blind listen:   The song started and I thought ‘Wow!”  She has a nice voice that works this song well.  The music was a bit mysterious and different.  But in the refrain, when she raises the volume, her voice is not powerful enough to carry it through and the words are lost.  Too bad.

Video:  I’m not sure what the video means and how it relates to the words, but the song stood up to a second hearing.  

First Semi-Final

Bulgaria: EQUINOX.  “Bones”

Blind listen: While the song has some very nice moments in it, I think all the electric-ness of it detracted more than it added.  The refrain didn’t work for me.  So no, I didn’t like, but did find myself tapping my foot to the beat throughout the entire song, so it hit a chord somewhere.

(It is technically wrong to write their name not in all caps?) 

Video: Pretty much the same reaction.  It has a really good beat and that’s pretty much it.  

First Semi-Final

Croatia:  Franka. “Crazy”

Blind listen: There is something captivating about this song from the beginning.  She does the semi-blues/jazz beat really well.  I can imagine all kinds of things she could do on stage to make this a captivating number to see.  But I didn’t really love it in the end; it doesn’t cohere into a complete listening experience. 

Video:  Planet of the Apes meets Lord of the Flies.  Still like the beat, but the song leaves us flat.

First Semi-Final

Cyprus:  Eleni Foureira.  “Fuego”

Blind listen:  If you like songs that sound like hundreds of others you’ve heard with no point to it, then this is your song.  It you want substance and lyrics, not just noise, then you’ll be disappointed with this unoriginal mess.  Hated it.  

Video:  Not even the soft core porn pyromania video can save this song (and that is saying a lot).

First Semi-Final

Czech Republic:  Mikolas Josef.  “Lie to Me”

Blind listen:  Must admit to being a little at a loss for words on this one.  While it started with promise as something that was reminiscent of the 1920’s, it morphed into rap and electro pop a little bit.  It’s different, but not all that entertaining in the end.  Hey, would Radio Free Järbo lie to you?

Video:  The video is very cute and captures the energy and fun of the song, of music, and of dancing.  He is also a very good performer and hopefully he can do that on the big stage in an equally captivating way.  

First Semi-Final

Denmark:  Rasmussen.  “Higher Ground”

Blind listen:  The song as sung is a bit of a production with all of those drums (were they left over from Emily Jävla De Forest?) and has a few nice musical moments.  The words, while conspiring with the music to inspire, don’t really make sense.  Surely words put to this much music should be empowering, right?  If so, we couldn’t find it.

Video:  Did the painter Odd Nerdrum design this set?  It looks like one of his paintings come to life.  The Uber-Viking look fits the look at the singers, but not so much the music.  I think Europe will be as puzzled as we were come competition night, but the Nordic block will give it some big points, I would think.  

Second Semi-Final 

**Winner: Best Beard

Estonia:  Elina Nechayeva.  “La Forza”

Blind listen:  She has got a lovely voice and can sing the hell out of this “popera” song.  I kept waiting for it to really grab you completely and take you away, but it doesn’t quite go all that way.  Some of the high notes come across a little screechy.  But, maybe this is the year of the good song and nice voice over gimmicks.  If so, she will do well.   

Video:  A big voice requires a big dress, and man, does she have one.  I hope she can do a little more on stage than she does here so that the song comes across better.   

FYR Macedonia: Eye Cue.  “Lost and Found”

Blind listen:  This song not like all the others songs around, I’ll give it that.  At times the song loses its way then finds it again, and then loses it again.  I do like her voice however, and hope she can find better material one day.

Video:  Loses and finds itself as well, just like the song.  

First Semi-Final

Finland:  Saara Aalto.  “Monsters”

Blind listen:  She must have bought this song at same bargain store as Cyprus. This is one of those songs that, when it comes on at the disco, you use the restroom until something better comes on.

Video: She’s going for the gay vote on this one, although, here they play her “monsters.”  Hmmm.

First Semi-Final

France: Madame Monsieur.  “Mercy”

Blind listen:  The song is certainly interesting and she is a good singer, but I wouldn’t call it “great.”  There is clearly a meaning here so maybe one needs to read the lyrics and then listen again to really get it.  

Video:  It did need another listen to really get it.  Having now read the translation of the text, the visuals in the video help explain the very topical meaning of the song.  It is brave (but totally correct) to address the refugee crisis in Europe (and elsewhere) this way.  Apparently, it is based on a true story. 

Georgia:  Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao.  “For You”

Blind listen:  Given the group’s name, I was expecting something jazzy, but instead, it is the Il Volo of the Caucasis.  These guys have really nice voices and know how to do harmony, and work that harmony as the song builds nicely.  And it blends in their regional sound.  Although it is one of the most melodious songs in the competition, in  the end, it left me wanting something a little more substantial.  

Video:  It is a pretty song, and they’ve presented it simply in this video with little to detract from their excellent singing.  

Second Semi-Final

Germany:  Michael Schulte.  “You Let Me Walk Alone”

Blind listen: Germany finally grew a pair and picked a great song for Eurovision.  This is a moving and beautiful ballad with lyrics that tell a full story while being sung simply and extremely well.  His may not be the best voice in the field, but it matches this song, which he helped to write.  And he sings clearly so that you hear every word.  Not all ballads like this do well points-wise so we’ll see if he can manage to make Europe listen.  I still can’t believe it’s Germany’s entry.

Video:  The camera motion made me sea sick, but the song still captivates.  A simple song needs a simple video.  Still really like this song, among our favorites.  And still can’t believe it’s the German entry.  

Greece:  Yianna Terzi.  “Oniro Mou”

Blind listen:  I must admit, for some reason I played this song with some dread, but was pleasantly surprised.  I like the Greek plaintive musical sound mixed with the drumbeat and a more modern tempo.  It works here.  

Video:  The video is very well done with great lighting and cinematography.  It is hard to turn away from it, wanting to know what happens.  Where is he going?  And we still like the song.  

First Semi-Final

**Nominee:  Best Video

Hungary: AWS.  “Viszlát Nyár”

Blind listen:  Finally some rock.  Too bad it wasn’t very good rock throughout; only parts were good.  Someone needs to tell them that rock can actually be song and not just screamed out.  It will stand out on broadcast night, and you’ll hear it.  I think Europe will hate it, though.  Rock doesn’t have a good track record.  

Video: The special effects in the video and the home movie clips of (we presume) members of the bad, while interesting, don’t make up for a less than great song. 

Second Semi-Final

Iceland: Ari Ólafsson.  “Our Choice”

Blind listen:  He looks like he’s 12 years old, so we weren’t expecting such a nice voice and polished delivery (with a couple of moments I would fix).  The song wants to be inspiring but end up sweet, even a little trite.  It will be interesting to see if he can captures Europe’s imagination.

Video:  We liked it a little less with the video.  I’m thinking that some electric strings to fill in the background along with the band would help a little bit. 

First Semi-Final

Ireland:  Ryan O’Shaughnessy.  “Together”

Blind listen:  Full disclosure: I am a total sucker for an Irish ballad, and this is a good one.  It is very well crafted in both music and lyrics.  He is the right singer for this kind of song.  This is a complete number, real words, the right music, and the right beat.  The only problem is that Europe never, ever, ever votes for songs like this.  It deserves to do very well.  

Video:  Ireland, Europe’s dark horse, keeps surprising.  The song writer is not gay and is singing the song to (or about) a woman.  But Ireland uses two men in this beautifully filmed video which really fits this enchanting song.  

First Semi-Final

**Nominee:  Best Video

Israel: Netta.  “TOY”

Blind listen: It’s a beat with intermittent music and random noises rather than a song.  Yuck.

Video: They had a lot of fun making this, but it doesn’t improve the song any.  

First Semi-Final

Italy:  Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro.  “Non mi avete fatto niente”

Blind listen:  Italian sounds really lovely when sung even when sung quickly, and it does here.  But the tune it is being sung to isn’t as good as past Italian entries, especially when judged on that standard.  

Video:  The song improves with seeing this very well done video, which helps explain the song to those of us who don’t speak Italian.  We then looked at the lyrics in English.   The song is very topical and moving.  The tune still isn’t the best, but it does match the theme of the words at least.  

Latvia:  Laura Rizzotto.  “Funny Girl”

Blind listen:  This is a song that gets your attention from the beginning.  I like the song’s slow bluesy music which her voice matches it quite well.  It should stand out from the others because of its unusual beat.  

Video:  If she can perform this on stage and capture the audience the way she does in the video, this song will do well.  She’s quite a good performer as well as a good singer.  

Second Semi-Final

**Nominee:  Best Video

Lithuania:  Ieva Zasimauskaitė.  “When We’re Old”

Blind listen:  Ballads are not only for the men, and that is good. This is a well crafted song with a simple sound and easy lyrics.  I am not a big fan of her voice, but this beautiful song would stand up with someone else singing it.

Video: The lovely video they have made only enhances how wonderful this song is.  Listening to it would never get old.  

First Semi-Final

**Nominee:  Best Video

Malta:  Christabelle.  “Taboo”

Blind listen:  Yet another “haven’t we heard this 100 times before” kind of song.  Songs this bad should be taboo.  

Video: Listen, Malta.  This is a song contest, so the idea is to have a good song, and good singer, as your entry.  You can’t take a crap song and dime-a-dozen sounds like everyone else singer, give it a very well produced (albeit confusing) video and hope it’s a winner.  At the end of the day, a crap song is a crap song.  OK? 

Second Semi-Final

Moldova: DoReDos.  “My Lucky Day”

Blind listen:  While maybe not wholly original, this bouncy song has exuberance and is a lot of fun to listen to.  I dare you to listen and not tap your foot or bounce your head to the catchy beat.  I like the way their voices blend. Too bad the ending is so abrupt.  

Video:  Colorful, even under cloudy skies, the video highlights how much fun the song is and that is what music is supposed to be about.  

Second Semi-Final

Montenegro:  Vanja Radovanović.  “Inje”

Blind listen: I had a feeling it was going to be a song like this when I set it to play.  Like Italian, it is a beautiful language when sung and I am glad he chose not to sing in English.  It is a nice ballad throughout, even if his voice isn’t always as silky smooth as the opening.

Video:  To understand the song we also read the lyrics.  This is a pretty song and a nicely done video, even if not quite fully up to the very high expectations one has for a song of this genre from Montenegro.  

Second Semi-Final

Norway:  Alexander Rybak.  “That’s How You Write a Song”

Blind listen:  He’s baaack.  Knowing he plays the fiddle, the Superfly opening was unexpected.  While I wanted to hate it, it just couldn’t; there is something contagious about the energy.  I’m not sure his advice is right in terms of writing a song, although we like the idea of small things getting big in time.

Video:  Not the most inspired video, but, yet again, it reflects the energy and the fun of the song itself.  It really stands up—and improves—with a second listen.  He really sells the song on the video.  If he can sell it on stage, he should go quite far.  

Second Semi-Final

Poland:  Gromee (featuring Lukas Meijer).  “Light Me Up”

Blind listen:  Poland, which has had some good entries in Eurovision (I’ve still not forgotten “More tits, more butter” or last year’s entry loved by the public but unfairly slammed by the juries), sends this really good dance tune this year.  It is not a winner, and not wholly original, but an enjoyable enough listen. 

Video:  Our opinion remains the same as the blind listen.  Good song, nicely done, not going to bring the house down.   Somehow we don’t think the video was filmed in Poland.  Although I’ve never been, I don’t think they have palm trees. 

Second Semi-Final

Portugal:  Cláudia Pascoal. “O Jardim”

Blind listen:  We see Portugal is sticking with the slow ballad theme this year.  While this song has some really beautiful and compelling moments,  I find her delivery a little uneven.  Hopefully she is working on it for competition night.  Then it could be quite competitive.  

Video:  The video is the from the night she presented it on Portuguese TV.  Now that we read the lyrics we see that the song is quite beautiful and emotional, and hopefully she can convey that emotion when singing in front of the home crowd come game night.  I wish her luck.  

Romania:  The Humans.  “Goodbye”

Blind listen:  Hello, Romania.  You’ve sent us a really nice rock ballad.  I like the tune and the mix of the rock instruments mixed with the nice vocals.  The ending is a little abrupt, though.  That blasted three minute rule!  

Video:  We liked it even better after seeing the video. It is a nice song and they perform it well.  The electric cello is especially effective and I hope they have it live on stage when they perform.  

Second Semi-Final

Russia:  Julia Samoylova.  “I Won’t Break”

Blind listen:  While we like the song more or less, her voice isn’t easy to listen to.  Not the worst Eurovision ever, but not the best by a long shot either.  

Video:  Hate the video, which doesn’t help the song.  The fact that she looks like Ivanka Trump’s little sister doesn’t help either.  

Second Semi-Final.  

San Marino: Jessika (featuring Jenifer Brening).  “Who We Are”

Blind listen:  Too bad the competition isn’t decided solely on the lyrics, because I like the sprit and the idea of this song.  The music doesn’t always work for it throughout, though. 

Video:  This is one of the better uses of “rap” even if rap light. Otherwise, we stand behind our original comments.

Second Semi-Final

Serbia:  Sanja Ilić & Balkanika.  “Nova Deca”

Blind listen:  I will admit I do like, what we call, “eastern” inspired elements, so I was a sucker for this song from the beginning.  Admittedly it isn’t everyone’s taste, but it stands out in this field of songs.   It makes nice music to have a drink to, à la Buddha Bar.  I think I’ll go mix a gin and tonic now.

Video:  A second listen didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for this song, even if we think Europe will largely pass it by.  Europe’s loss.

Second Semi-Final

Slovenia:  Lea Sirk.  “Hvala, ne!”

Blind listen:  Call me old fashioned, but I always suspect that all of the electro-pop elements are there to hide a bad song or a weak singer.  In this case, I suspects it hides both.  Just when the song sounds like it is going break out in music, the electric beat comes back like a faucet that won’t stop dripping at night.  Nej!

Video:  It doesn’t improve with a second listen.  Just dreadful.

Second Semi-Final

Spain:  Amaia y Alfred.  “Tu Canción”

Blind listen:  We usually listen to the Spanish entry with a bit of trepidation—so many have just been so bad lately.  This simple yet melodic song is an exception.  Their voices blend nicely together and are just right for this music. I still think they’ll be overlooked in the voting.  

Video:  The video doesn’t help their case any, but at least it highlights their voices and that they are good singers.  

Sweden:  Benjamin Ingrosso.  “Dance you Off”

A large percentage of our listenership is in Sweden, so we are a little biased.  And this is not, obviously, the first time we are hearing this song, as we followed the Swedish Melodifestivalen quite closely.  The song, while interesting and fun, is a bit thin in the music department and the lyrics, well, hardly challenge the intellect.  The power here is in his stage presence and showmanship which carry the whole number.  Luckily, this event is a television show.  The video, for some unexplainable reason, doesn’t show off his stage presence and that’s a lost opportunity.  

**Nominee:  Best Looking Guy 

Second Semi-Final

Switzerland: ZiBBZ.  “Stones”

Blind listen:  There are the makings of a decent rock song in there somewhere.  It is too bad that it wasn’t allowed to fully come out, even if they have the best they could with the material they were given.  I hope it isn’t too late to fix it.

Video:  Interesting video, but it is still a good rock song to be, just not there yet.

First Semi-Final

The Netherlands: Waylon.  “Outlaw in ‘Em”

Blind listen:  There is something in the Netherlands that connects with Nashville.  This rock and roll song has just the right amount of country as fits the theme of it.  (Too much country would wreck it.) It will certainly wake up the audience.  I just wish his voice was a little better.  Overall, we liked it.  

Video:  There is an audience for this song somewhere.  I think Europe will hate it unfairly, although we liked it better the first time around.  

Second Semi-Final

Ukraine: Melovin.  “Under the Ladder”

Blind listen:  We found this a little bit formulaic and falling under the “haven’t we heard this before” category.  We applaud his energy, though.  Another good “get drunk and hit the dance floor” song.    

Video:  Pretty much the same reaction as before.  It is doubtful we will remember it come next year.   

Second Semi-Final

United Kingdom:  SuRie.  “Storm”

Blind listen:  The world really needs a good optimistic song right now, and there were moments I thought that his would break out into one.  It is upbeat, I’ll give it that, and there is an enjoyable quality about it.  But it isn’t a strong, complete package.  

Video:  Nice fashion show, but the song is still the song.   Gunnar says, “Annie Lennox 2.0.”  I say even she couldn’t save this song.