Reaction to Rehearsals: Day 3: Part 2

So this afternoon 4 more entries took to the stage. Belarus, Portugal, Ukraine and Bulgaria. There has been a lot of discussion around these so once again here we go:

Belarus - Rehearsal Video
I never got a chance to review Belarus's entry to Eurovision (It would have graded as a B-) but I was uncertain about which version of the song that they would sing. They've gone with the disco version which unlike many people online I think that this is a very good interpretation of the song. The yellow and black background really helps this song and this looks set to have some very dramatic staging. I still believe that the song is lacking something and I'm on the fence about this qualifying.

Portugal - Rehearsal Video
Say what you like about the Portuguese entry this year I think that they have hit the nail on the head with this one. This is working as well as it could at the moment on the stage. Vocally this was good. The background is really fantastic and the whole performance makes for a lovely break between Belarus and Ukraine. This may not qualify but I will look forward to this.

Ukraine - Rehearsal Video
Vocally this was a joy to watch and to listen to. The song might not be the best we've had from Ukraine and the performance might have looked better if you never heard of Shady Lady but overall it looks and sounds really good and should qualify with ease.

Bulgaria - Rehearsal Video
This rehearsal was fine bar her often missing her cue. Some people have mentioned that as a result of having nothing else on stage with her the visual on the screens is really dull as a result of a lack of variety on stage. Vocally it was good. I cannot see this as a qualifier though.

More tomorrow.

Maybe Just Leave It For The CD

After what was one of the longest and drawn out selection procedures there were so raised eyebrows when the national final was won by Sofi Marinova and her song Love Unlimited. Having not really come through in the earlier two rounds of the national final this was a surprise

.

When I first heard this song I thought that it was a bit generic and excessively "hard" pop music which I never really was that mad about. The notes hit by Sofia seemed a bit high for my likely too. That said this could be a nice one in a club. There can be little doubt that this actually is a great studio song. It ticks all of the right boxes. The problem is that live this just does work and stinks of a semi-finalist who will be going home earlier than they hoped.

This really is a shame as I never know what to make of Bulgaria at Eurovision, they somehow seem not to try hard enough. They are in the second semi-final and are after Ukraine. Ukraines entry might be a bit more accessible than Bulgarias but that is debatable.

Verdict: This song should never have been let leave the CD. I can't see this qualifing but it is possible that juries might like it as it is technically a good song. Personally, I am not a massive fan of the song but I can fully understand how you might like this.

Grade: D+