THIS IS ESC 2013: ICELAND, CROATIA, ITALY

Iceland - Eythor Ingi - Ég Á Líf

One of the most underrated songs this year. I admit this wasn't my favorite in the Icelandic national final but it was a good runner up for me. The song has a quiet beauty about it and luckily it also stays in Icelandic that sounds especially soft and delicate in this particular song. Eyþór himself comes across rough and sweet at the same time. Like a heavyrocker daddy singing a lullaby to his kid, and the song is indeed a lullabylike one that works also well live. Hard to say how the televoters react to this, and will the jury overlook it as well. This said, one of the better songs this year, and one of the best singers, too. No matter what happens, Iceland should be proud!

Croatia - Klapa s Mora - Mižerja

Croatia surprised us all with their choice (anticipated by last year's Nina Badric exclusively to Blogilkar here) but like Iceland, whatever happens they can be proud of it. The song is similar to the Icelandic one in the way that I like it a lot when I hear it, but otherwise I don't quite remember it. But I like it. The guys sing very well, the melody is nostalgic and full of Slavic melancholy and misery i. The good, beautiful misery. This one is one of the hardest to predict and can go either way. There's also the English version, Hard times used for tourist promotion and I want to go to Croatia. Immediately!

Italy - Marco Mengoni - L'Essenziale

Italy is sending the biggest thing in the country at the moment. Mengoni is topping the single, album, download, iTunes... all possible charts and half the nation's teenager girls are suffering from Mengonimania, shame they can't vote for him! But he has also a lot of fans abroad and like in those two previous cases, no matter what happens,  Italy can be proud. It's the number one song in the country this spring, if Europe won't get it, it's Europe's fault, they will think. This said, he shouldn't worry. I think the juries will like this, and so will the televoters as this is exactly what we have been waiting from Italy; a real Italian Sanremo ballad with hint of drama thrown in, sung entirely in Italian by someone who looks and acts like we expect Italian stars to look and act. As there won't be a runaway winner this year (most likely), Italy might be closer to the victory than we think scoring high points from most every country and climbing the scoreboards steadily and end up.... How high? On top of it?