Rehearsals: Day 4: Part 1

Today is the last major day of first rehearsals - tomorrow it moves over to seconds rehearsals which are usually don't tell us all that much extra, but anyhow today there are 10 songs taking to the stage, so we have to keep moving forward. First up was Slovenia

Slovenia - Rehearsal Video
Slovenia are definitely a strong contender but looking at this today all I can think of is Croatia and Feminmen who were considered a shoe in to the final. One stage the white is looking very effective, and the general tone of the song is coming across well. Apparently they are trying out a lot of different backgrounds in today's rehearsal. There are Molitva comparisons going on but I think that that might be overrating the song.

Croatia - Rehearsal Video
Croatia are very unfortunately just after Slovenia, the song is rather like Slovenia's but it does lack something. The performance is certainly interesting to watch, given all of the dancing with lots of moody lighting in the background. This is unfortunately not as accessible as Slovenia and could struggle. I'm also hoping that she intends to change her dress and that that one will not be worn at live show.

Sweden - Rehearsal Video
Sweden have been the most anticipated rehearsal. I didn't review Sweden but along with Denmark, Iceland and Italy it is among my favourites. The performance has not changed hugely since the national final but at the end the background does light up with snow. In the rehearsal video that I saw the was no actually snow falling but they do run that prop sometimes. Overall I think that this was an extremely solid rehearsal and this probably is the start of Sweden's march to victory. There has been a general movement against Sweden in the press center and this is very noteworthy as these factors do influence media a lot. Sometimes it is good to be here is Dublin away from all that.

Georgia - Rehearsal Video 
As I have previously discussed I feel that this is one of the weakest songs in this years contest. No doubt though that the performance will be able to lift it a little and today showed that Anri is a very strong performer.  There are a lot of props involved in this entry. There is also the addition of backing singers also helps this entry. The overall presentation is a bit camp and I am really unconvinced on this as a qualifier. Apparently he has a drum and some pyros as well.

Turkey - Rehearsal Video
This is going to go down a storm in Baku, obviously because of the close links between Azerbaijan and Turkey. For Can this really will help to get him to stand out just a little more. Can has decided to keep this performance in line with the ship theme. However the backdrop starts with a sea and lighthouse but then develops into something different which might just be a boring, personally I'd keep the lighthouse all the way through. Vocally this was fine, with no major hiccups, so at the moment it should bring Turkey back into the final after last year. Strangely this reminds me of a Greek entry more than a Turkish one but I don't know why that is.

Estonia - Rehearsal Video
Estonia have a very divisive entry, I think that it is a possible qualifier though. I think that based on today's rehearsal this is a real contender, vocally it was spot on and the backing singer really helps the song. The intense colour really adds to the song. This is not a definite qualifier in my books but it is getting  very close.

Slovakia - Rehearsal Video
I do like this entry but the performance is doing nothing for it. In short: Soften the band image, improve the harsh vocals [i.e. with Lemsip], lose the sunglasses and lose the hat. More eye contact with the camera is required. The song does seem to end very suddenly though which is a little concerning. Eldrine slipped into the final last year and ended up 9th which was a big surprise so there clearly is a market for this out there and these people do actually watch Eurovision.


Norway - Rehearsal Video
Eric Saade Mark II I mean em, Tooji, stepped up for rehearsals today. Visually and in terms of dance moves this is excellent and a very strong visual close to the end. Vocally though it is quite off the mark. I will be waiting for the second rehearsal before I cast aspirations over how this will do. I expect it to qualify but not with ease. Many are suggesting that this could be the surprise non-qualifier of this semi-final but I suspect that the combination of a great draw and the dance show will mean it will go down a storm with the female televoters.

Bosnia + Herzegovina - Rehearsal Video
As expected Maya Saar has delivered a fairly understated performance of her song. The most outstanding thing about this song is the very strange choice of backdrop. Looking at the large number of steady cams on stage this will definitely be an up close and personal performance. Vocally this was good, but that doesn't take from the dull song. While some in the press center are suggesting that this might be the first non-qualifier from Bosnia + Herzegovina. I'm unconvinced, I think it is going through but I'm very hesitant to say that. I'll wait and see what further rehearsals bring.

Lithuania - Rehearsal Video
As usual I cannot understand the logic behind using a blindfold. The performance starts similarly to the one in the national final. Vocally this was spot on, but I still am unconvinced by the song. I think the last 90 seconds work really well on stage. The last 90 seconds backdrop is really interesting, again with the dancing figures in the back ground. This would normally be a non-qualifier but coming at the end of a fairly dull [for the non-Eurovision public] semi-final this might slip through.

Lots More News

• Rona Nishliu has released her song Suus in English, the version is a bit more jazzy than her actual Albanian version. You can listen to the song here. Personally I think it is a masterpiece of music but I am in the minority who actually like the song.
• Eurovision in Concert was last night. If you were at it I really hoped that you enjoyed it. If you weren't (like myself) then the photos and videos are now starting to appear online, check escXtra.com and EscToday.com 
• Finally in other news, Norway's OGAE have declared their votes for Eurovision 2012, unsurprisingly Sweden and Iceland got 12 and 10 points respectively, with Serbia and Romania getting 8 and 7 points. This puts Sweden very firmly in the lead with about 13% of clubs declared. Iceland are in second position. 

Back to reviews tomorrow.

The Odds: Semi-Final 2

This year semi-final two has been definitely the less talked about this year. Despite this fact I think that the more likely winners of the whole contest are going to come from semi-final.

So how does semi 2 look. There are two broad appeal pop songs from Norway and Sweden. It is very likely that they will take two spots in the final. No surprises then that the three most likely songs to proceed to the final are Serbia, Sweden and Norway. Moving on then we have Bosnia, who may not have an amazing song put have   a great spot in the running order. Then there's Turkey who will surely qualify to the final.

So then we move into shakier parts of this semi-final Estonia are next in the bookies odds and I think that that is a very mean price for Estonia. I am not trying to say that I don't like it I just don't think that Estonia are certain qualifiers.

Slovenia is in 8th position which I think is a generous price for Eva Boto as I think her song is very good as a Balkan ballad. Belarus is 9th position and I am not sure if this is a qualifier, I think that the disco version is very strong but it looks like a non-qualifier to me.

The two songs that I think is Portugal and Lithuania. I don't think that Lithuania is amazing but it is hard to imagine that a last slot song would not qualify. I think that Portugal has one of the strongest compositions this year. Even though this is a tough semi-final for ballads and Portugal has many things going against it, I think this could be the surprise qualifier.

It's Eric Saade! No, it's Danny Saucedo! No, its TOOJI!

Before I review a song, the first thing that I normally do is go back to the national final and have a look at what I said about it. Just I was reading those I saw all the artists that Norway could have sent. I know Tooji is liked by a good number of fans but sending him to Eurovision was a missed opportunity. In retrospect the song Things Change by Bobby Bare and Petter Oien or else Plumbo would have been the most different choice. I fear that in a stronger year sending Eric Saade Mark II may not have been the best idea but anyhow, that’s what they have given us, now to tear it apart.

The song itself is a strandard Fredrick Kempe style song [even if he didn’t write it] with a strong melody in the background. It does not really build or develop and most of the excitement is hinged on a vocally good bridge in the song. Lyrically it is not overly impressive. Vocally, Tooji has given a variety of vocal performances. They range from fair to very flat. This coupled with the fact he will have live backing vocals at Eurovision may hurt his chances. The performance itself is broadly engaging, focusing on Tooji and his dancing. This may not be the case at Eurovision where the backing vocalists will be singing live and only six people are allowed on stage.

While many fans have been quick to suggest that this is Eric Saade Mark II. I am inclined to agree however that does not mean that he will get the same result as Saade. Generally, for no particular reason songs that are copies of others from last year never do as well the year after. Also the higher standard of other Scandinavian countries will not help Norway, particularly if Sweden goes to the top 3.

Verdict: A missed opportunity for Norway and given that Scandinavia is so this year they may live to regret picking such a generic song. However the strong draw in the semi-finals probably will qualify.

Grade: C+

At Least Iceland Got It Right

So after the big night of Nordic finals and some others it is time to take stock again in what seems to be my Saturday Night routine.

• Hungary have selected Compact Disco for Baku with the song The Sound Of Our Hearts. There is nothing to complain about barring the rather flat performance, review will follow in due course [think weeks not days though].
• Lithuania did something and our friends over at escXtra have a wonderfully concise report here. 
• Sweden - the problem with Sweden is that they have some excellent songs which they then don't pick. This annoys me. We were not remotely impressed with them sending Timoteij to Andra Chansen. Neither are we impressed by who they did send - Ulrik Munther [understandable] and David Lindgren [aimless] but continues the male theme of their final so far. I am starting to think they might send Loreen or if we are extremely lucky Love Generation <3. I am wondering if there might be a lot 
• Iceland provided us with some delight by sending Greta Sálome and Jonsi with their amazing ballad which I cannot spell. Anyway we think it is extremely good and are very happy that they avoided rather poorer songs. Full review in due course [like Hungary, think weeks not days though].
• Norway (sigh) - well let's just say I think they missed a massive opportunity to send a song that would be original and authentic. Instead they send Eric Saade Mark II. Tooji won the vote with 40%, with Nora Foss in second (21%), Bobby Bare and Petter Oien (20%) in third and Plumbo in fouth (15%). This is exact the opposite to how I wanted it to go. Better luck next year Norway. We would also like to briefly say a huge well done to Reidun Saether whose performance was amazing.

 So that concludes tonight but next week will be manic so we will be post regular updates. Azerbaijan will select the representative that has to do the least travelling to Eurovision tomorrow but we don't tend to pay to close attention to that.

A Look Ahead To Tonight

All times mentioned in this article are CET for GMT subtract one.

There is a huge amount on this evening with 3 song selections and 2 semi-finals there is little reason to be bored. 

• Norway kicks of in about an hour at 19:55 for their final pausing at 21:10 and restarting for the super final at 21:40. We are expecting a result from Norway around 22:45. We are hoping for a Reidun Saether/Plumbo victory.
• Sweden gets going at 20:00 with their semi-final until 21:30. I think I speak for many fans by saying vote for Timoteij Sweden.
• Iceland have a two hour show from 21:30-23:30 they will be the last country tonight to give us a song and we sincerely hope that it is by Greta & Jonsi.
• Hungary kick off at 20:15 with a result expected around 22:00.
• If your watching Lithuania their show is from 20:00-22:30.

So we have a long night in store. Time to get the dinner eaten and popcorn on and enjoy every minute of the  biggest Scandinavian weekend of the year. 

Schlager, Leather Jackets and Plumbo

Norway Reviews

Owing to the strength of the Norwegian National Final we have built more solid reviews than thee ones that were there for the semi-final. We must stress that the grades given to the songs here may seem low but that is due to us employing a grading system that is really hard to do well in. It may seem tough but how can you separate some great songs otherwise? Their grades should improve in the Eurovision Reviews.

1.       Tooji – Tooji’s song Stay is definitely Eric Saade Mark II. From a distance he even looks the same as him (all he is missing is leather gloves).While I was critical of the strange sounds in the backing track I felt the entry worked well on stage. My guess is that NRK would like to see this at Eurovision. However its poor draw in the final will not help its chances. No doubt that Tooji can sing and perform this one. The song is doing well on my playlist as it is interesting. This could be a dark horse of the contest, but my guess is it has a 50/50 chance of making the superfinal. Grade: C+

2.       Reidun Saether – Without a doubt Reidun has delivered an excellent song written by the excellent Thomas G:sson. This is a difficult song to critise. While parallels between do exist between her song and Charlotte Pereilli’s entry in 2008 I think that Reidun is a more naturally good looking person unlike Charlotte who gave many Trannys hope. I like to think that this song could win but I think that there may be a slim chance of it. I also like to think that this type of song will win Eurovision somehow…one day. Grade: A+

3.       Lise Karlnese – I was pretty sure that this song would make it to the final through tele-voting in the semi-final and was surprised that it made it through. It is a good solid song and no doubt that Lise is able to perform. However after failing to make the cut with the tele-voters last weekend I think it has no chance of getting to the super-final. I do like this song though. Grade: B

4.       Plumbo – The newspapers in Norway are all saying that this has a very good chance of winning on Saturday and to be honest for a rockish/trad. song this is a rather well regarded by Eurovision  fans everywhere.  I love it because it is so anthemic and waving hands up in the air. The biggest threat that they face is running fourth in the draw and also the Norwegians may not back this if it seems that it is a dead cert. Grade: A

5.       Malin – Despite having a rather poor vocal performance in the semi-final Malin made it to the final most likely buoyed by votes from her own demographic which has an increasingly strong impact on National Finals and Eurovision. The song itself is annoyingly addictive but a little disjointed. However I think there could be a big enough vote out there for Malin that she could go to the super-final. It’s a longshot but I wouldn’t rule it out. Grade: A-

6.       Nora Foss Al-Jabri – Break out the Disney soundtrack and put this on it. This entry has Disney written all over it and this is both a drawback and positive for the song. It all is just a little to prefect for my likely. It is so perfect It feels like something is missing. After 1^st place in the semi-final this could qualify but I also think of the three semi-final winners this is the weakest. Grade: C-

7.       Carburetors – I don’t see how this qualified in the first semi-final but to summarise it’s leather jackets and sunglasses to the rescue. As a rock song I cannot see this doing very well. The overly gravelly voice of the lead singer may not fare well in comparison to other singers in this final especially when they are singing before Tommy Fredvang. Grade: D+

8.       Petter Oien & Bobby Bare – I really liked this song when I first heard it but when I saw it live I just fell in love with it. This works better than any other song in MGP this year. It is quite clear that there is a strong bond and relationship between the two men – if you notice when Bobby makes a mistake Petter makes one too but overall it does not take from the song. The country feel is impressive and the song is high quality and has direction. It is music as it was meant to be. This is a challenger for the victory, and I wish them the best of luck. Grade: A

9.       Yassen & Julie Maria – I do not get this song. Sometimes I don’t like a song for various reasons but after a couple of listens work out why it has done well. Generally it has a good professional sound that I understand why people like. I cannot understand why people voted for them in the semi-final. I do not expect this entry to do extremely well but sadly you never know. Grade: G

10   Tommy Fredvang – Make it better is a straight forward but rather unimaginative song that is carried by the recorded vocals and performance. I do think that it is a nice one to listen to on the MP3 player but I’m not sure if it would transfer well to the European stage like we would expect it to. Not one that I am exceptionally impressed by but because of the place in the draw it could make it to the super final. Grade: C-

      Overall I would love to see Reidun Saether represent Norway at Eurovision with her wonderful song, but I am very impressed with Plumbo and reckon that they most likely have the best chance of winning. 

100 Tweets Later And We Have Song Six

Tonight after a marathon National Final we have reached the end of the Maltese selection. To explain how bored people were: You may notice sometimes during the dull part of a national final we will post up a Why not visit the blog? tweet [Our marketing department say it is a good idea]. Normally this generates 2/3 extra visitors. When I did it during Eurosong I got 15.

Anyway we all woke up just after midnight to see what was a rather entertaining voting. The ultimate winner was KURT CALLEJA who will sing This Is The Night for Malta in Baku. Full review will be out in a week or two but suffice to say I think it is a little average.

Moving on to other matters at hand Hungary and Lithuania had their semi-finals tonight also and I gather that they passed off without anyone watching them.

However most interestingly Sweden held their first Melodifestivalen semi-final which was a entertaining and as interesting as ever. I think people have finally gotten their heads around the "poor" songs and are now accepting that the songs are not normally seen in MF. This meant that we had one of the most intriguing contests in a long time. I know our predictions were out (badly) but Swedes are very changeable in their nature when it comes to Melodifestivalen. Sean Banan and Throston Flinck went to Anfra Chansen with Dead By April and Loreen advancing to the Final. I thoroughly enjoyed Melodifestivalen this week and look forward to next week.

Norway too held their ultimate semi-final. This one turned out to have a couple of surprises (most of them were very pleasant). The biggest surprise was Yaseen & Julie Maria coming third with their song Sammen. I didn't think very much of it and my mind is still unchanged but I think their performance highlights why the number of people on stage needs to be restricted. Tooji also made it through. He was the Norwegian answer to Eric Saade and the number of similarities was actually freaky. It turned into a bit of a spot the difference competition [He didn't wear leather gloves]. He deserves credit for an excellent performance however coming second means that he will be first to sing in the final which may not work in his favor. The best and most pleasant surprise was how well Bobby Bare and Petter Oien's song came across on the stage. Everything about it worked and Bobby was such a country gentleman. I was really impressed by what appeared to be the bond between the two men. It was real music.

Norway is expected to announce their wildcard on Thursday. We suspect it will go to the Canoes but also consider Minne-Oh, Lisa Stokke and especially Lise Karlnese to be in with a chance.

That brings this evening to a close. The next big event will be on Monday with Germany holding heat 5. However we tend to ignore Germany for the moment. We will be busy over the coming week preparing for the weekend so please be patient with us if things are quiet during the week.

P.S. We don't have a marketing department.

Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta and Dublin vs. Kerry

[Skip this paragraph if your not interested in sport] So as we look forward to a great night of national finals we also notice that Dublin is playing Kerry tonight in Gaelic Football which is just a little bad timing but we will keep the Irish people watching Melodifestivalen updated with the score. A little Irish trivia: Dublin bet Kerry last year in the All-Ireland Football despite not being expected to do so. This is a league match which is not so important but being a rehash of last years All-Ireland people will have good expectations.


Moving on to more interesting matters primarily concerning Eurovision:

• Malta picks their Eurovision entry this evening. It is to be done on a 75% jury and 25% public basis. You can read our review of the final here. However to cut it short we are supporting DEBORAH C feat. LEILA JAMES for Malta with their song You Make Me Go Uh Uh. 
• Sweden holds the first semi-final of Melodifestivalen tonight. Read our review here. We are looking forward to seeing Loreen and Marie Serneholt as well as Abalone Dots and Sean Banan. But we have to throw a big shout out to Afro-Dite also. We suspect due to the rather low quality of songs that this could go anyway and we expect a surprise or two.
• Norway holds it's final semi-final tonight in anticipation of their final next week. They will also be giving out a wildcard from the jury but we do not know when they will do this. Our reviews of Norway are here.
• Hungary and Lithuania are also holding semi-finals tonight but we are not covering them for the moment. Our Hungarian reviews can be found here.

So if you thought that tonight was going to be quiet or without a few surprises think again.

And as always our twitter @besteuroblog will be in full swing tonight. Things should be kicking of around 19:00 GMT/20:00CET

We gladly welcome your comments on what you will be watching tonight.

Update: I forgot to do a look at the odds for this week: In Norway Tooij is favorite to qualify to the final. Followed by Lise Karlsnes and Petter Olson & Co. In Sweden Loreen is the favourite to go directly to Globen with either Sean Banan or Dead by April bringing up the rear is Thorsten Flick and The Moniker depending on which bookmaker you use. We cannot find any odds for Malta at the moment but if you know someone offering odds do let us know through the usual communication. 

Tone Damli's New Song

Sometimes it is nice to step away from the busy world of the National Finals. Some may have noticed that Tone Damli Aaberge [From MGP 2009] has released a new song. We loved her back in 2009 and we still think she is just fantastic. And we are delighted to present her latest song.

Sailors, Cowboy Hats and Too Much Wine. MGP: Semi 3

With news to be posted slowly mounting up, it's time to put the foot down and get moving.


Tooij - From some of the writers who brought you In The Club in Sweden comes a very similar song. I think that this is strong however the verse and chorus do not exactly add up together. The wrap that was put into the song doesn't make huge amount of sense. However it still is doing well on my playlist. I also don't like the chuncky key change in the song - that can be done much more easily. Overall I am looking forward to seeing this live. Grade: B+

Marthe Valle - The key question with this song is that if it is a little different, is different a good thing? I certainly think that it is. I think that the beat in the chorus of this song really changes it and lifts it from being a dull ballad to….a…..emmmm. Well I'm not exactly sure. This may not make the final but it could if it was presented in the right way on stage. The MGP stage this year allows for great diversity in the performances while holding a theme. Still one of my favourites. Grade: B-

Bobby Bare & Petter - Grab your cowboy hats people. Norway is goin' country. I really think that this is a little different. I like the style and this will be sung well and will definitely appeal to the Norweigian people. A different finalist. Grade: A-

Yaseen & Julie Maria - A sadly what starts sounding like it could be a nice ballad, but the rap starts and the song just sounds cheap. Grade: F

Havard Lothe Band - This is….different…that is for sure. I'm not sure if this is what I was looking for but it is ok. It bounces along the way I would like it to but it doesn't actually have enough to be quality material. Grade: D

Silya Nymoen - Not really what I was looking for, some people may think it is but I disagree. Grade: D

The Canoes - Well this song just about sums up every drunken night I've had. I really enjoy this one and laugh about it. However I think that the song quality is only so so and there is more potencial in it. I think that if this in an English speaking country it would do extremely well. But Norway is a grey area. While they do not offically speak English but has many people who will understand the song. Grade: B-

Lise Karlsnes - This could go either way. It could be very good (and I might mention I think that this is a really enjoyable song) however it could fall victim to the same problems the put Rikke Nordmann out of the contest, even if she was one of the stronger contestants. Grade: B+

Girly, Pink and Folk Rock

This was another busy weekend in National Final season. So lets start the bulletpoints:

• Norway held their second semi-final and surprised us by sending Malin through to the final with Tommy Fredvang and Plumbo. Her song is very girly and camp; it was not very good vocally but I think that this is just fabulous. This was badly predicted by us. Plumbo we saw coming and still think that we are expecting to see them in Baku. Tommy we didn't expect but the staging was simply wonderful even if he looks like he comes from Take That. Though Rikke Nordmann didn't make it through we suspect she could be in the running for the jury wildcard.
• Iceland held the last semi-final which saw Greta Sálome & Co. go through to the final with Magni Ásgeirsson. While I am not  a fan of Magni's song, I really liked Greta & Co. In addition the jury wildcard annnounced was as Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld who I was never overly impressed by. I had hoped they would give the wildcard to Íris Hólm.
• I'm not paying any attenion to what is happening in Hungary so I will let The EscInsider fill you in. (She's the most objective of Eurovision Bloggers out there.) Our review of the songs is here.
• France revealed their song today and you can watch by looking at the post below this one. 

The Exciting Weekend Ahead - And I'm Not Around

So from the top this weekend:

Finland hold their first show of UMK - can't pronounce what it stands for. I never was big into talent shows of this nature when it comes to Eurovision, so I'm not put out that I'm missing it.

Norway - Semi Final 2 tomorrow evening. While I may not be watching I will be supporting PLUMBO who I think are simply excellent. Minne-Oh and Malin are also favourites of mine. I think there is a good chance that they will all get through but I would be prepared to bet that Rikke Nordmann may get in over Malin. You can read our review of Semi 2 here.

Iceland - Iceland's third and final semi-final is on Saturday, we are hoping to see GRETA SALOME go through to the final with a second song. I can't call the second finalist but we are sure the later will make it  through. Our review of the show is here.

Hungary holds Semi 1 tomorrow also. We are unimpressed with their songs so far and don't particularly look forward to it. Our review of their songs is here.

Finally France will present their song on Sunday (16:00) from the bit that we heard of the song we are largely unimpressed with it.

While I may not be at home I hope to be on Twitter a little bit over the weekend and will try my best to see the results and have a full piece of reaction by Sunday evening.

Traditional Folk, Racism and Controversy...and that's just one song. Norway: Semi-Final 2 Reviews

Norway holds semi number 2 on Saturday night. So as usual we are here to the review songs.

Cocktail Slippers - If this was a normal country I would be writing about how strong this song is, and yet in MGP it seems a low quality song. There is a lack of orginality with this pop song. There is better in the compeitition and I think that this has a very slim chance. Grade: C-

Isabel Ødegård - Sadly this is another ballad that will not stand out at MGP. And that's before I realised that it was singing second in the semi-final. It still is pleasant but that is just not enough at this stage. Grade: C-

Tommy Fredvang: This is not a rock song it is more Disney Pop/Rock and is clearly on the pop song of this argument. The Lyrics are a little poor but that can't really be helped. It seems a little repetitive which is hardly a good thing either. Presentation will be everything, but I still think it is ok. Grade: C

Rikke Lie - So what does the other Rikke have to offer, well her song is more what I would expect from MGP. It builds all of a sudden and does not ever try to be overly balladish. I think it is nice but that's all. If it should not make the final, well, I'm not going to sit up all night cross about it. Grade: C

Malin - And the award for closest song to the Hello song goes to……. This song is contempemory that is for sure. However I think that it is good, but is not for multiple listenings. It may be a little over technihcal and manufactured. This is a shame because I think it actually has a lot of orginality to it. Grade: A-

Plumbo - Plumbo is quite a controversial band and nearly got thrown out of MGP for not watching their mouths. The song Ola Nordman is a very strong folk rock song. I am a huge fan of the folk rock that does appear in the Nordic selections and this is simiply excellent. It really sits there and just performs itself. In my view it is the second best song in MGP this year. Love the tin whisle by the way. Grade: A+

Minne-Oh - A highly innovative song. I'm not sure why there is the level of disco in it. Is she trying to cover up poor vocals? I still like it and while I think it could be a  little more dramatic it is still going to be easy to swallow on the night. Grade: B

Rikke Normann - In my view there is such a thing as to much mixing and beat in a song. This is a prime example of it. The song lacks a real character. Given Rikke's great performance with Aste last year I'm expecting good things from her this year and suspect she will deliver. Grade: C+

So we hope to see Plumbo going through to the final. We would also like to see Malin and Minne-Oh in the final.

Super Songs, Sexy Women And Your Left With Mixed Feelings

After one of the biggest nights of Nordic Semi-Finals and Finals here is my reaction:

Iceland: It is quite clear that the semi-final in Iceland did not generate the same enthusiasm as the semi-final last month. My favourite Simbi og Hrútspungarnir made it through as did Regína Ósk (from Euroband). While we would have preferred Guðrún Árný Karlsdóttir 1/2 is not bad given that we did not see the live performance. Ws still think that the two qualifiers last week were a lot better.

Norway: Norway had the first semi-final of Melodi Grad Prix 2012. There was the usual mix of songs that we would expect of MGP. Nora Foss Al-Jabri came first with The Carburetorsin second and Reidun Saether came in third. I predicted two out of three, but I underestimated Nora’s ability to get votes. Instead I had thought that Lisa Stokke’s song was the most likely to go through. I thought her song was stronger. With the benefit of hindsight Nora had better staging and styling. The only one that surprised me was the super sexy performance from Irresisrible. It was a shame they didn’t cut the rap from the song.

Denmark: Last night saw the 3^rd song of this ESC 2012 being picked. Soluna Samay will sing for Denmark in Baku. I haven’t seen any performances other than the winning one. I was surprised by the winner (but not shocked). I was just briefly switching in and out of Twitter during the evening, and was very surprised by the winner. However after seeing the performance it is very clear why this won. The performance was a little different and the dress worn by Soluna was very original. Full review of the song will be up by next weekend. We predicted Chirstian Brons and Patrik Issakson. However based on the Twitter coverage I saw their song was vocally poor. Soluna won with both the support of the juries and public. Congratulations to her.

UPD: Iceland, Norway and Denmark what could go wrong?

Today we have no less than 2 nordic songs and 1 national final which means that Denmark will be choosing their Eurovision Song tonight. Sadly due to the fact I am away I won't have coverage tonight (might have some but won't be watching live). So were doing a large item for today looking at what exactly we are expecting and what we are hoping for.

Iceland: Really this week is not up to much we hope that Gudrún Árny Karlsdóttir will make it through to the final with Simbi Og Hrútspungarnir. But really the fact is that you have to see the Icelandic final to actually know which songs lift off the studio version and have a great live performance. I really can't call who might get through.

Update: We now know, thanks to our friends over on ESCNorge that there are 3 not 2 acts going through to the final of MGP in Norway. Another act will also be picked as a wildcard by an internal jury. The Norway section of this article has been updated to reflect that.

Norway: Well I hope I have made it quite clear that my favorite song is by REIDUN SAETHER but that does not garentee that she will get through. An interesting video appeared comparing to Sweden's (2008) Hero which you can see here. Of course we would also like to see Kim Andre Ryystad and Lisa Stokke  going to the final however we are not exactly sure how many are due to go through based on the new national final system. My guess is that 2 will get through as in previous years but I could be surprised. My guess is that The Carburentors and Reidun will get through but I could be proven wrong. Lisa Stokke and Nora Foss al-Jabri are also among the favorites. I going to call this one for Nora.

Denmark: OK so this is the most important country this weekend as it will pick its song. I think that the international juries will be an interesting new element in how the song is picked. AYA is my favorite and I think that she is the dark horse of the contest. I can see the international juries really rowing in behind it if Aya can prove that that she has a huge amount of Charisma. I think that if it was left up to the Danes they would pick Christian and Patrik. Why? Well there is just some strange room for a little on stage magic - an Olsen brothers moment. I also really like the song. It is such an obvious choice for the Danes that I think it has a very good chance. Jesper is also polling well but I just think it doesn't have the "X-Factor" that I was looking for. Nevertheless it could win tonight. Update: After sleeping on it I am far more impressed with Christian Brons & Patrik Issaksson. I am going to call it for them, but am sure I will be proved wrong.

So it is a fun night to look forward to. I hope you enjoy it. I will have reaction tonight/tomorrow on the Blog.

Norway: Part 1

In the run up to MGP 2012 we publish the reviews of Semi-Final 1

Irresistible - While I do like this song, I think that this kind of generic type of song that does not pack a real punch will not actually manage to qualify for the final. The song might look good on stage but will struggle at this level of competition. Grade: C-

Kim Andre Rysstad - I really like the vocals behind this song. It builds wonderfully but once again his voice makes the song. If this was not perfect on the night this would seriously hinder the song. The final verses of the song are pitched really well. Grade: B

Reidun Saether - I never have nor ever will critise this song. As I have previously noted I think that if any song that I have heard so far deserves to go to Eurovision it is this song. Think about it Norway! I just love the slow start and strong vocals and the chorus always brings a smile to my face - and I have listened to it to many times. This could do well sandwiched between two ballads. Grade: A+

Rudi Myntevik - This does seem just a little plain and dated given the standard that is in this semi-final. Depending on the performance this will either be well received or forgotten after the very different song from Reidun.  I would like this in a poor quality national final. Grade: D

Lisa Stokke - It was quiet surprising to see that this was one of the favourites given the style of song (a little old fashioned) however I do like it and if Lisa is a charismatic singer than this will not be an easy song beat. Grade: B-

United - Boring and crap. This just doesn't work on so many levels. Grade: G

Nora Foss al-Jabri - This is the favourite to win according to Betsson. It is a very good ballad but a little Disney. Really with female ballads this will all come down to the voice of the singer on the night. This has everything that I would hope for in a ballad but I still don't understand why it is the favourite. Grade: B-

The Carburetors - Before I start to complain about this song I would like to point out to that I respect this song for its quality and genre. Every year we see this style of song in MGP and it never wins. This is just too accessible to be good rock. And it is not pop/rock - well it is but the first 30 seconds try not to be. Would you keep your hand out of the fire after hearing this? Grade: C-

Super Monday!

Keen watchers of the contest national final calender will notice that really there is no "Super" day. Traditionally this would be a day that 4 or 5 songs would be picked for ESC. This year that is less visible. This year we are seeing a huge spread of the days that countries are picking on. However while I am sure that we will see more dates come through and we will have a Super Saturday (or Friday) today is what matters.

Today is Super Monday as during the night many countries (Scandinavian) released their songs.
Iceland, Denmark and Norway have all released some songs and we have started reviewing already!

Stop The Press!!!!!

We were just sitting here in the office reviewing some of the Hungarian songs when suddenly this sample was brought to our attention.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VL5BEC/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

If you have not heard it yet you need to listen to it. If you have you need to listen to it again.

What is it? Well, this is the song to be sung by Reidun (We never heard of her either) in MGP 2012. It is written by the great Thomas G:son, Tommy Berre and Ovidou Jacobsen. It is in the first semi-final of MGP.

So What To Look Forward To.

Scléip boy, things are getting busy. 


I not going into what scléip means but it seems the right thing to say at this point in time. I had planned out the articles required over the next 10 days in the run up to National Final. However looking at the calender we need to get moving now. I had intended to write this piece over the next few days and publish it in due course. However it has crashed forward into this week. Due to the National Finals this week you may find that

What to expect this year:

• Ireland - I think Jedward is definately going to be there for Ireland again this year. I'm not looking forward to the National Final/Late Late Show. I expect very few quality songs. In fact I don't know how RTÉ will scrabble together five songs for The Late Late Show. We should expect them to be together with Linda Martin as their mentor. They are currently staring in the Olympia Pantomime together.  
• UK - I'm not exactly sure what the UK will do this year, everything will be down to who they get to sing this year.
• France - Not expecting them to beat their placing last year.
• Spain - Expecting a strong song that is tipped to win but will come about 8th (Not scoring as well as expected with juries)
• Norway - Not sure if their plan to change MGP (dropping Andra Chansen) will have much impact. Norway usually have one of the best National Finals and I expect that they will deliver a strong song this year
• Sweden - For the love of God: Pick Timoteij. Really you just don't know what Sweden will do next. There are some returning faces to Melodifestivalen but there are also some strong new ones. It's something to look forward to.
• Denmark - I think Denmark are the most likely to win this year, but that is just my intuition (or those random feelings you get in the middle of the night after a few drinks). However Denmark really seem to be going for the victory this year and seem to keep mentioning that they came so close in the last two year.
• Italy - I really am unsure what will arrive out of San Remo this year but I think Italy (if they put their minds to it) have a selection process that could be good for picking a song that will clean of jury votes for the final.

Overall I am expecting one of the strongest line ups of songs given that the Swiss and Albania songs are well above average so far.