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+

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.