Eurovision 2010. Second Semifinal + 5 Final Songs Preview

Here is the second part of my Eurovision 2010 preview. In this post I will comment the songs from the second semifinal and the 5 direct entries to the ESC final.

It will take you some time to see the videos and read my comments, so I would like to thank you in advance for the effort. It would be nice if you could leave some comments (doesn't matter the language), on any song you like or dislike.

Since I comprehensively explained why am I doing this in the previous entry, let me go directly to the second semifinal, which I found largely unbalanced and oversaturated with ballads.

LITHUANIA - InCulto „East European Funk”

Advantages:

• The only funk song in the contest, and the only light mocking on Eurovision in this semi-final
• Real fun for the start. Good for a warm up.
• Relatively easy to perform live
• Catchy trumpet

Disadvantages:

• Very strong competitors in this semi-final
• Not a streamline style of music
• Will not appeal to "serious voters", as the humor is direct, not subtle

Risk:

• Audience will not be warmed enough to enjoy funk music from the start

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 2.5
• To win the contest: 81-201

Forecast:

• Not to qualify for the final

ARMENIA - Eva Rivas „Apricot Stone”

Advantages:

• Lejla style beginning will appeal to Eurovision fans and Balkan voters. For them, that's when the semi-final actually begins
• One of the favorites in the betting
• Beautiful girl

Disadvantages:

• She seems to be suffering, though the song is perfectly suitable for discos
• The symbolism of apricot stone not understood by European voters

Risk:

• Difficult to sing live. And she is the first to perform this type of vocal songs in the contest.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.1
• To win the contest: 15-19

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

ISRAEL - Harel Skaat „Milim”

Advantages:

• Another betting favorite
• Excellent live interpretation
• Will appeal to Belgians and French people, who will hear Jacques Brel in the intro
• For me, it's music about music. Even if few will understand the lyrics on the song, the tune is self-sufficient (just imagine he sings "I love you" or "I'm suffering")
• Will appeal to the conservative part of Eurovision voters

Disadvantages:

• It is difficult to make a stage show with this song
• Will not be able to take a symphonic orchestra on stage with him
  

Risk:

• Is in between two favorites, Armenia and Denmark

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.06
• To win the contest: 5.5-9

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

DENMARK - Chanée & N'evergreen „In a Moment Like This”

Advantages:

• Yet another bookers' darling
• Solemn Eurovision-style tune
• The first male-female duet in the semifinal
• Voices fit excellently (unlike in the Moldovan duet)
• Comes in after two strong performances, and is not in any way worse than what we just heard

Disadvantages:

• Not very catchy
• The stage show is static

Risk:

• Will depend on camera work (mobility of the picture)

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.14
• To win the contest: 8-11

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

SWITZERLAND - Michael von der Heide „Il pleut de l'or”

Advantages:

• A chance to make a memorable pluie d'or (gold rain) on stage. The song allows for creativity in scenography

Disadvantages:

• Singing in French is everything but an advantage these years in Eurovision
• Eurovision conservatives have better choices in this semifinal
• Does he know what gold rain means in Russian, for instance?

Risk:

• Comes in after Denmark, and the comparison is not in favor of Switzerland. Is followed Sweden, which is another strong entry

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 4
• To win the contest: 126-532

Forecast:

• Not to qualify for the final

SWEDEN - Anna Bergendahl „This Is My Life”

Advantages:

• Simple yet touching presence. She is one of my personal favorites
• The quiver in her voice will conquer many hearts
• She appears to be very, very sincere

Disadvantages:

• She is not the type of Swedish beauty we are all used to
• Static performance

Risk:

• Follows a row of similar songs. Audience could start wandering if there is something else apart these Eurovision archetypal songs

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.28
• To win the contest: 17-36

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final
  

AZERBAIJAN - Səfurə Əlizadə „Drip Drop”

Advantages:

• Bookmakers' favorite. I don't really see why, but the fact is a fact.
• Out of all the songs in the contest, the closest to mainstream commercial music, due to the RnB-ish Drip-drop drip-drop wuuuooo wuuuooo sequence
• Overall good performance, allows for some walking on the stage
• Is followed by Ukraine, which has a flatter performance

Disadvantages:

• Not the song to display best vocal performance.
• I would have expected a more dynamic ending.
• I don't believe someone broke her heart. Watch her smile.

Risk:

• Not to perform at the height of previous vocalists. Nor she is a good dancer.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.02
• To win the contest: 2.75-4

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

UKRAINE - Alyosha „Sweet People”

Advantages:

• Russian, pardon, Ukrainian typical beauty
• The song allows for a full display of the capacity of her voice

Disadvantages:

• Static performance
• Disturbing song. Specific melody. What is that, ballad, jazz?
• Comes in immediately after a range of favorites

Risk:

• Audience will be tired of strong vocal music. Could provoke rejection from some listeners.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.57
• To win the contest: 41-257

Forecast:

• Not to qualify for the final

THE NETHERLANDS - Sieneke Peeters „Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)”

Advantages:

• First notes will be like a breath of fresh air for the exhausted audience
• Entertaining tune, sounds very funny in Dutch
• Finally some dance in this semifinal (of course we had not forgotten our Lithuanian fellows, but it was so long ago)
• Does not need extraordinary vocal qualities

Disadvantages:

• Was it in the contest? I thought it was a commercial break
• Kids vote less than adults
  

Risk:

• Comes in after some very strong vocal performances. Will not be chosen by the juries

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 7
• To win the contest: 126-523
  

Forecast:

• Not to qualify for the final

ROMANIA - Paula Seling şi Ovi Martin „Playing With Fire”

Advantages:

• Dutch performance makes the impression of splitting the contest in two. Romania has a good chance to electrify the audience with a serious yet entertaining entry
• Hot intro, many catchy parts
• In this song, you want to see Paula dancing, not playing the piano. A chance for a great ending if they find something better than wuuuuooouuooo.
  

Disadvantages:

• Sounds great when they sing on turns, but it doesn't fit that well while singing together.
• It's difficult to believe they are actually playing the piano.

Risk:

• Very difficult to sing live. The studio version of the song is much better.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.44
• To win the contest: 67-101

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

SLOVENIA - Ansambel Žlindra & Kalamari „Narodnozabavni rock”

Advantages:

• Different than everything we had until now… in music. It's quite ok since it's nothing but a sketch.
• Will appeal to… difficult to say, but someone must like it, if it qualified to the ESC

Disadvantages:

• A weird mix of styles. It's like a collection of shortcuts from several songs. Doesn't create the impression of being a solid piece.
• Due to the specific style, the singers exclude each other when they start singing
• Despite pretending to be "funny", it remains static and annoyingly repetitive
  

Risk:

• Audience could not understand this is a sketch. As they sing in Slovenian, it is almost impossible to guess what they are singing about if you don't know the language. I suppose lyrics are the key to this song.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 8
• To win the contest: 151-684

Forecast:

• Not to qualify for the final

IRELAND - Niamh Kavanagh „It's For You”

Advantages:

• Back to ballads. Another good one, though not the best.
• A bright song, once again for Eurovision conservatives.
• Some Celtic tones, but not very efficient. Could have been used more.

Disadvantages:

• Stage presence, not the youngest nor the most beautiful singer
• Though the lyrics are finally optimistic, the song is very sad. She smiles widely, but this does not help much

Risk:

• Many ballads this year. Electorate may be already decided in favor of one of the previous entries.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.36
• To win the contest: 21-51

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

BULGARIA - Miroslav Kostadinov „Anghel si ti”

Advantages:

• Chalga, but an improved version of chalga. Has its own voters in Romania, Serbia and around the place.
• Could be accompanied by a great stage show, with angels and all the stuff.
• It's ok that he sings in Bulgarian. Anyway the song is about the fact that she is an Angel. Everybody will understand and will appreciate that he sings in his own language, unlike all those… you know.

Disadvantages:

• Basic rhythm, reminds me of the music of the 90s in Eastern countries.
• Electronic intermezzo (sorry for the big word)? Not the best choice to fit Europeans' tastes.

Risk:

• Despite not being a classical ballad, it is difficult to sing live. In the studio version his voice is obviously digitally remastered.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 5
• To win the contest: 101-466

Forecast:

• Not to qualify for the final

CYPRUS - Jon Lilygreen & The Islanders „Life Looks Better In Spring”

Advantages:

• The perfect bonfire guitar song. I actually like it, wish I could play the guitar.
• Young and restless, this is the guy next door singing that love will be better in spring. Next spring, when you'll be 18, darling.

Disadvantages:

• Too simple for ending the vibrant show we had up to now. Luckily there is Croatia coming in next.
• Narrow target group. In fact, 17-year old girls, as we've seen. Sorry, just kidding.
• Will get few votes from the jury. Unfortunately, he's name is not Brian Adams.

Risk:

• Not to hear the guitar. In fact, this is a guitar song, and I want to hear his guitar on stage. During much of the preview, I see him strumming the strings, but I don't hear the instrument.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 2.1
• To win the contest: 51-190

Forecast:

• Not to qualify for the final

CROATIA - Feminnem „Lako je sve”

Advantages:

• My favorite Balkan entry. My favorite ballad. Indeed, it's easy for these girls to… you know it once again… everything.
• Three voices fitting perfectly together. The best collective singing composition in the contest.
• Great instrumental sequence at the end of the second minute
• Ascendant composition. You feel the song evolving on stage and it does not seem repetitive.
• When they cry "Ja te volim" I do believe. Well, that they love someone. And once again, instrumental composition helps a big deal.
• Enters the contest towards the end of the show. It is generally considered an advantage in ESC.

Disadvantages:

• "Only" sixth in the betting. But this is the disadvantage of a favorite, only important in the final.
• Hard to find a real disadvantage, but see the risk below.

Risk:

• Vocal interpretation is extremely important. Many components to bring together (start with the fact that there are three equally important voices) in order to ensure the expected effect.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.12
• To win the contest: 13-30
  

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

GEORGIA - Sofia Nijaradze „Shine”

Advantages:

• Yet another strong ballad.
• Good voice and a beautiful singer. Could catch some votes from the juries.
• Second from the end, maybe the favorite entry number among Eurovision contestants

Disadvantages:

• Comes in after Croatia. Difficult to compete, though not impossible.
• Flat composition, no evolution in the song, despite crying "shine, shine" in the opening of the last minute gives some hope

Risk:

• Viewers already tired of ballads. And ballad lovers' votes already distributed.

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.57
• To win the contest: 51-133

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

TURKEY - maNga „We Could Be The Same”

Advantages:

• So much different from everything we had in this final. And the only authentic (rap) rock song in the contest.
• The kind of song you wish to be there to listen to it being performed live. Entirely live.
• Will grab all the votes from rockers. Linkin Park, Brainstorm fans have at least found their favorites.
• Will they bring flags on stage? They definitely should! But no fireworks.

Disadvantages:

• The beginning is much better than the ending.

Risk:

• Camera work will be very important. At least as important as it was in the case of Zdob si Zdub in 2005 (see good camera work in semifinal vs bad camera work in the final)

Betting Odds:

• To qualify for the final: 1.1
• To win the contest: 17-46

Forecast:

• To qualify for the final

***

And yet there are another five songs directly qualified for the final. And surprisingly these are very strong entries.

GERMANY - Lena Meyer-Landrut „Satellite”

Advantages:

• More than 12 million views on youtube! This is not a joke anymore.
• The kind of song that you want to sing along.
• The feminine version of Alexader Rybak, in the good sense. And she is his favorite for the contest this year.
• Her smile is so cute.
• Good live performance.

Disadvantages:

• Difficult to make a stage show. But does she really need fireworks? Her advantage is simplicity.

Risk:

• Enters directly the final. Semifinal audience could already have some favorites.

Betting Odds:

• To win the contest: 3.5-5

SPAIN - Daniel Diges „Algo pequeñito”

Advantages:

• Yet another love song and a lovely one. You see love from another perspective with this one. If I could, this is exactly the kind of song that I would like to sing to my girlfriend.
• The dolls and toys on the stage give additional flair to the performance, without making it looking childish

Disadvantages:

• Though it's such a touching song (if you connect to it), it does not allow for great vocal performance.
• The ending breaks the atmosphere of song. And I suspect it was introduced especially for Eurovision.

Risk:

• Would those who do not speak Spanish understand it's a love song?

Betting Odds:

• To win the contest: 51-152

GREAT BRITAIN - Josh Dubovie „That Sounds Good to Me”

Advantages:

• He is the kind of cutie that sings a song showing that "anything is possible to do". Even to participate in Eurovision with this song.

Disadvantages:

• Standard ceremony Eurovision entry. It is difficult to believe that such songs would generally exist if not for Eurovision.
• Will not get votes from Central and Eastern European televoters.

Risk:

• Back vocals to sing better than the lead.

Betting Odds:

• To win the contest: 41-247

FRANCE - Jessy Matador „Allez! Ola! Olé!”

Advantages:

• J'ai envie de bouger, oui, vraiment!
• It will be the hottest show on the stage.
• Ethnic parts fit very well, very fresh.
• Did you notice that he is the first black singer in Eurovision in years?
• No need to show great vocal performance. The rhythm does it all.
• Football World Cup is approaching.

Disadvantages:

• Football World Cup starts only in June.
• Will not be appreciated by juries.

Risk:

• It's difficult to sing and to dance in the same time. I mean this kind of dance.

Betting Odds:

To win the contest: 41-133

NORWAY - Didrik Solli-Tangen „My Heart Is Yours”

Advantages:

• Handsome man singing about… guess what… no surprise, love.
• Good voice, far from perfect, but still good.
• He represents the hosting country. By default, he will get a little more attention than other contestants.

Disadvantages:

• Too much emphasis on his voice. And when he is supposed to take low, he hits some false notes.
• The song itself, difficult to remember among many other better ballads.

Risk:

• To be compared with Rybak's entry (not with Rybak as a singer).

Betting Odds:

To win the contest: 11-29