Romania 2011 - the review

Romania is the next one to choose its entry this Friday, New Year's eve. As usual their national final is one of the best ones around and once again there are many worthy contenders. Romania has the third place in 2010 to defend, can they do the trick again? I gave a quick listen to the songs and here's my short review.

Adrian Cristescu - One by one

When this one starts it makes me think of Michael Jackson but that soon fades away. Nice song but is it catchy enough? The verses are better than the chorus. A very good starter for the show. ***

Dalma - Song for him

This starts of quite interestingly but that's soon gone when the annoying chorus kicks in. Not my cup of tea. **

Laeticia - Dreaming of you

Very nice start. Then enters her funny voice. Simple but very effective! Catchy as hell. Me likes more and more... even if it does get a bit repetitive after awhile. ****

Silvia Stefanescu - I can't breath without you

The standard ballad with a nice atmosphere with harp. Sweet and dreamy. Depending on songs in Dusseldorf could go either way if chosen. But, misses a definitive hook, just like the song before it I'm afraid. ***

Blaxy Girls - It's so fine

These girls are already veterans here and once again offer a good solid song. It's annoyingly catchy and one of my favourites. Will they be third time lucky? Maybe not but if so I'm quite happy with this one! ****

Claudia Pavel - I want u to want me

Isn't this Drip drop all over again? Foxy looking lady belting out an overproduced powerballad made in Sweden? This is more the US than Romania but it works. Most likely a fan favourite but not an Eurovision winner I guess - unless she makes wonders on stage. And first wins this national selection... ****

Laurentiu Cazan - We can change the world

This would have been fresh and exciting back in 1984. Now it's just... well... beyond bad. *

Dan Helciug - My Facebook girl

I know there's an audience for this kind of music which I very rarely find interesting or good (sometimes it's the lyrics that make it, sometimes the artist) and this one says nothing to me. *

Distinto, Ianna & Anthony Icuagu - Open your eyes

The ever present pop opera in the Romanian final. Not as good as Shine for example but I guess this is a kind of song that is strikingly good live or just dies, and I'm not sure if these singers are really as good as one might think. Hmm.... Must see and hear live before final judgement! ***

Directia 5 - Cinema love

This may have come on top in the preselection but I think this promises a lot but gives very little. Very long and boring three minutes in the end as the song goes nowhere. **

Rallsa - Take me down

And of course we need one fake artistic entry here, too. That turns out to be just another dance track. Propably a disaster live. I don't get it. **

Hotel FM - Change

This shared the first place in the preselection with Directia 5 and here also I ask why? This is better than Cinema love but still nothing special. Both vocalists are very good, I can say that. On the other hand this might work as an entry? Hmm... or could it? Is the time for these kind of songs over? Or has it come back?***

Mihai Alexandru featuring B-Body & Soul - Bang bang

This sounds like the worldhits we have got from that corner of the world the past few years. Not an Eurovision winner but could do really well if chosen. The only handicap might be Mihai's looks superficial as it seems, after all this is Eurovision. But isn't he Nicola's ex-husband?****

So if the winner is Mihai & co or Blaxy girls I'm very happy. Claudia will do and even if Directia 5, Distinto & co, Adrian or Laeticia wins I'm not too unhappy. Which only means I don't have a super favourite and it's kinda open field. I will be pissed if Rallsa, Cazan or Helcing will win though.

Listen the entries yourself here.

Comments

ESC 2016 WISH LIST: MARGARET FOR POLAND

Małgorzata Jamroży aka Margaret has also been tipped for Eurovision and apparently she did turn it down but she'd be perfect. She's got a look and persona you can't unnotice nor forget, she's got hit songs, she has been voted or nominated for everything from Trendy artist to the Hope of the Year, Fashion Icon and Glamour Woman of the year besides the usual best video, song, album, debut..... Oh she's also a fashion designer! She's very clever with social medias and would surely use it to her advantage if selected for Stockholm 2016. Her debut album is titled Add the blonde , do we need to say more? Except it includes mostly Swedish written pop tunes like Tell me how are ya , Wasted , Start a fire and Heartbeat . And of course her debut single and internationally noticed Thank you very much that you can enjoy below with all its anti-textil feel. I think she's Eurovision perfection, she's cheeky and fun, can we have her?

SONGS OF THE YEAR 2015: #5 KRISTA SIEGFRIDS - ON & OFF

Krista Siegfrids is delivering nice pop tunes one after another and this one is particularly catchy and soon you will be singing along..... Hopefully her Melodifestivalen entry will be equally good!

ESC 2016 BELARUS: NAKED WITH WOLVES?

Today's funniest Eurovision related story comes from Belarus. Some sources claim Ivan wants to perform on stage naked and with live wolf or wolves. It surely would be a first on Eurovision stage! We have seen some forgotten underwear over the years, and some cardbox animals though..... Is it time to take things a bit further? No, according the rules live animals are not allowed, and Eurovision being a family show nudity won't do either. (It seems to be ok to be half naked if you are a dancer though..... )

CAROLA'S BOOBS STEAL THE SHOW, SVT APOLOGIES

Update! Another thing got Swedes talking last night: Carola's boobs when she was giving away an award. This is not the first time her boombs cause headlines; her misfortunate adventures in the 80's in Japan wer explained with her boobs being too big for Japanese market. Ok.... Or was it the song ? Anyways, Carola apologies and says she thinks the dress is stylish and elegant (even her friends said so) and she's a mature woman in her 40s, not a 16-year-old girl and looks like one. The Swedish Oscars, Guldbagge awards were given out last night. Carola was there as a guest star to sing Barbra Streisand's The way we were when honoring the movie stars who passed away during 2012. However, the cameras were too much on Carola, not on the stars showed in photos in the background and that upset many viewers as that part of the show was to celebrate them, not Carola. Oh well... The producer of the show tells in Aftonbladet the part of the show was made the sam...

Russia recycles the video

Here is the video for Alexey's previous hit Бам Бам! and here is the video for his Eurovision 2011 entry Get you as Alex Sparrow as he likes to be called now abraod. Looks like he potreys the new rich Russia well.... The only problem is that he can't play the bad part convincingly not even a second. And did I say the song is crap? And of course as he is a Russian star he must have nude fotos of him flotaing around internet trying to be sexy and he fails there, too, big time. If you are not bad nor sexy you shouldn't push it. Maybe he should stick to singing jolly little numbers like the Kalinka rip off instead....

Regina Lund - naked and censored

Regina Lund's new video Jag är osynlig was censored by Youtube only minutes after it had been uploaded. In the video she was playing a female Jesus who gets crusified in the end. "I was shocked!" she says. "There's nothing more naked in it as in every church! It's ok to have naked man hanging on the wall but my nakedness is too much on internet? ". Oh well, no comment. She's prepairing a new album Dare Regina Lund and we of course remember her from her Melodifestivalen 2007 adventure with Rainbow star .

GREECE: HELENA PAPARIZOU HITS AGAIN WITH HAIDE

Eurovision song contest 2005 winner Helena Paparizou has been enjoying Top-5 hits every year since 2003 with the exception of 2010 and 2014, this latest one being already her 27th! And Haide is charting also in Bulgaria and Finland, of all places. The catchiness of her hits has changed less over the years than her face.... Here's the English version , below the Greek version.

TIM SCHOU AND HIS NAKED GRAVITY

Tim Schou has a pretty good solo career going since he left his friends in London. He's travelling the world and relesing songs and videos. The latest one is a great track and comes with a steamy video that kinda takes away from the song really. But who's complaining. If you got it, flaunt it. Enjoy the video below. This post coming after the other Dane, Rasmus Seebach as wishlist for Eurovision. To think about it, Tim would do nicely, too. Maybe he should give it another go?

MÅNS ZELMERLÖW GETS NAKED FOR THE GOOD CAUSE

Reigning Eurovision song contest champion and the host of the next contest in May 2016 in Stockholm Mäns Zelmerlöw bares it almost all in GT following some other Eurovision stars like Blue and Jedward ( see more here ) All for the good cause of course, prostate cancer - something this blogger can also relate having experienced it in my closest circle. Nothing to laugh about. The annual Naked issue of GT or Gay Times features also several other celebrity men out of their designer fashion and stage or sports outfits. I guess Christmas came early to some fans when they can unwrap their most wished gift already now.... Maybe. But it's not the first time he gets naked.... he did so when hosting the annual QX Gala some years ago. Who knows what he and Petra have in store for us in May?!

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Search This Blog