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ESC 2007
11 May 2007 - Do I know this business or what? 6/7 of my predictions have progressed through to the final. (Only Norway didn't go through.) The remaining 4 slots were filled by Hungary, Serbia (both ballads), Georgia and Bulgaria. Here is the final line-up.
9 May 2007 - Just to recap my choices to go through to the final today: Belarus, Moldova, FYR Macedonia, Norway, Slovenia, Turkey, and Latvia. You add another 3...
8 May 2007 - For the first time in years, I couldn't find the time to review the ESC 2007 songs so here I am - only a day away from the semifinals - trying to listen to all 42 participating songs.
Thanks to my friend Nasos at eurovisionclub.com for the songs.
Here are my comments...
Semifinal
| |
Country |
Comments |
O |
E |
R |
F |
1
|
Bulgaria |
Good upbeat song; however, it is not a winner.
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x |
x |
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x |
2
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Israel
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When we say "political voting", we don't mean political lyrics... Irritating chorus...
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x |
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x |
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3
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Cyprus |
80s club (?) arrangement cannot save the oversimplistic Evridiki song.
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x |
x |
4
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Belarus |
James Bond score with traditional Euro melodies. I like the song! (The key change towards the end drops its position by 5 places...)
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x |
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| 5 |
Iceland |
Good arrangement, very poor song. Good to hear an electric guitar solo in ESC.
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x |
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6
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Georgia |
What's with all the dance tracks with strings this year? This is a good attempt and ticks all my boxes but too original for my taste...
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x |
x |
x |
x |
7
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Montenegro |
Poor rock song with simple guitar solos... Key changes are all over the place. Very uncool...
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x |
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8
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Switzerland |
Another dance track with a string ensemble. Intro from Star Wars?
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g |
9
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Moldova |
If Evanescence was from Moldova, this is what they would sound like. If only the melodies were stronger... Key change doesn't disturb me that much for a change.
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x |
x |
x |
10
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The Netherlands |
I first thought "wow, finally a nice ballad" but the song turned out to be another poor attempt at Eurodance / modernizing Abba. (With a key change of course!)
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x |
11
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Albania |
Either the signer Frederik NDOCI is out of tune at times or I'm tired. The song is too traditional to appeal to a broad European audience...
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x |
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12
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Denmark |
Another dance tune with a dated arrangement. Sorry, 80s are over and your key change is baaad.
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| 13 |
Croatia |
Nice rock piece with a short but sweet guitar solo. Dado TOPIC's charisma might not be enough to pull it off though.
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x |
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14
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Poland |
Even The Black Eyed Peas couldn't pull this one off! Why doesn't anybody try to write an original melody and/or lyrics these days?
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| 15 |
Serbia |
I think this is the first ballad I listened to tonight but unfortunately it's boring! It even has a key change...
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x |
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x |
16
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Czech Republic |
Where else can you listen to similar rock songs in so many different languages but in ESC? :) |
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x |
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17
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Portugal |
A summer track from the 70s... A little out-dated! (Not to forget the key change...)
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x |
18
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FYR Macedonia |
The guys at FYR Macedonia have cracked the secret to Eurovision success! The song is not as good as their previous 2-3 entries but it's definitely going through to the final!
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x |
x |
x |
x |
19
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Norway |
Very happy, very positive, upbeat piece. It's different than the ones I heard so far. But why do people still insist on key changes???? Anyway, I like it.
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x |
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x |
20
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Malta |
There are many songs with string arrangements with year and this is one of them. I know how important ESC is for Malta but I'm afraid it's not going to happen this year either.
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x |
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x |
21
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Andorra |
I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby... Too bad the voting ESC audience isn't 13!
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x |
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22
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Hungary |
The song delivers what it says on the title; unsubstantial blues! I like its feel though - it's much calmer than some of the entries this year.
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x |
x |
23
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Estonia |
A pretty ordinary Pop-Rock tune... Strong voice and nice boobs though! :)
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x |
x |
| 24 |
Belgium |
Is this from the Starsky And Hutch soundtrack (released in 1975)? Nothing original about it... |
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| 25 |
Slovenia |
Although it's not original, the song has a simple but powerful melody. Alenka is a great soprano singer and she reminds me of Emma Shapplin. I love it!
|
o |
x |
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x |
| 26 |
Turkey |
I think the melody is too simple and unoriginal to be a winner. Kenan is a great singer and his producer (and brother) Ozan are very capable musicians so I'd have expected much more from them! They have left obvious slots in the song for stage shows and that will certainly win them points.
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x |
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27
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Austria |
Do people really think Lordi won because the European viewers are hard core rock fans? Unoriginal...
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x |
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28
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Latvia |
Another operatic voice and this one's on a ballad. How nice to hear an Italian song in ESC after so many years... I like it.
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o |
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Final
| |
Country |
Comments |
O |
E |
R |
F |
1
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Bosnia & Herzegovina |
The string riff reminds me of something, but I can't figure it out. Anyway, if you leave out the key changes, it's a nice ballad. Nothing special about it though.
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x |
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x |
2
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Spain |
The song has so much energy that it immediately demands your attention; however, it's not so successful at retaining it. And guess what - it ends with a key change!
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x |
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3
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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4
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Ireland |
It's like a country singer singing an Irish song composed by an Eastern Eurpoean composer... Weird rather than original...
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? |
x |
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x |
| 5 |
Finland |
Paying homage to Lordi, the hosts are participating with a rock tune. Too bad Hanna isn't as ugly as the Lordi chaps!
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x |
x |
6
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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7
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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8
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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9
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Lithuania |
You wouldn't be wrong if you thought the intro was sampled from Dido's Thank You. I'm not sure if the spanish guitar running throughout the song is enough to save the ordinary melody and production. |
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x |
10
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Greece |
The energy is retained throughout the song, which makes you want to dance for the full 3 minutes. I love it! Can Sarbel be the first solo male singer to win the contest since Toto Cutugno?
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x |
x |
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11
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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12
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Sweden |
Trying to win points with the nostalgia factor. It's difficult to count how many songs this one has "influences" from.
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x |
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| 13 |
France |
Do I hear the French singing partly in English? Do I hear an upbeat song? As Borat would say, "what, what, what?"
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14
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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| 15 |
Russia |
This entry makes me think that Russia is cross with the contest after last year's unfortunate defeat (and 2nd position). There's not much I can say about the song.
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x |
16
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Germany |
The double bass, followed by jazz piano, the brass section and jazz drums is very interesting. Wow, jazz in ESC! If only the song was in English and sung by a female artist.
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x |
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17
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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18
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Ukraine |
Verka SERDUCHKA is the alterego of the Ukranian comedian Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko. His (her) song is what you would expect from a comedian. Good response to last year's results!
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x |
x |
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19
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United Kingdom |
Despite the catchy melody, the song and production are very bad. But the whole song is built around a stage show, which will certainly win points for the UK. They may even end up in the first half of the board!
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x |
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20
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Romania |
Romanians had been consistently sending good dance songs to the contest in recent years but this is not one of them. The spanish guitar will inevitably be compared to that of Lithuania's. The only interesting thing about this song is the gradual increase of tempo.
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x |
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21
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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22
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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23
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Armenia |
Pretty ordinary...
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| 24 |
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Semi-Final qualifier |
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O - Originality, E - Ethnicity, R - Rock influences, F - Female vocals
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I also recommend the following sites:
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