Review: MELOVIN - Under The Ladder - Ukraine
7 Day YouTube Views: 131,344
7 Day YouTube Likes: 4,611
With a single white contact lens, eyebrows that mean business and hair permanently in the midst of a strong westerly breeze, MELOVIN delivers Under The Ladder for Ukraine.
The song could best be described as a pop-rock hybrid, fast-paced and likely to keep eyes on the screen. It's not a particularly interesting song on a musical level and has a few too many 'Ooooh's and 'Yeeeah's for my liking which are a lazy way to fill gaps. Furthermore, I've listened to the track a few times and couldn't tell you what it's about - MELOVIN is another Eurovision contestant that struggles with diction - though this may improve by the time the finals roll around. There is a slow, piano bridge segment, bringing the audience who may be losing concentration back into the song before finishing again with the upbeat chorus.
The real draw for this song is the singer himself, musically he's not been given much to work with but still manages to really sell it in both his energy and vocal ability. If Ukraine's semi-final staging is anything like their national final's staging, it'll likely be a memorable one too, playing a piano atop a flaming platform. Alongside the Czech Republic and Belarus, MELOVIN also takes a slice of the teen fangirl pie - a powerful force in any singing/voting show.
Ukraine has been lucky enough to be placed last in the running order for the second semi, they'd have likely progressed even without that advantageous position. MELOVIN sits at 22nd most likely to win Eurovision according to the markets, his odds to progress through the semi are predictably low. On the big night itself, this is likely a..14th-16th place finisher, no threat for the win but we appreciate the unique look and the stagecraft this young man displays.
Review: Jessica Mauboy - We Got Love - Australia
7 Day YouTube Views: 621,143
7 Day YouTube Likes: 11,790
Famous European nation, Australia return to Eurovision in 2018 with We Got Love, an upbeat anthemic song much in the same vein as Azerbaijan's 'X My Heart'.
The betting markets have already pumped this track - for a brief moment it entered the top 3 in the running, however it looks to have been a bit of a phase as she's now settled back to 5th favourite. The song is again, fairly disposable pop that simply adds to the enigma of this year's contest - it's far easier to list reasons why songs shouldn't win than reasons they should - but of course, somebody has to win. The essence of song-writing by numbers, verse / chorus / verse / chorus / bridge / chorus, the kind of music thrown out every five minutes by the music industry to make a quick buck off easily-pleased audiences. The song sets the melody and pace in the first minute and doesn't really change it up.
Saying all this, there isn't really anything bad about the song, but there isn't anything particularly mindblowing about it either, however given how many negatives other songs have this year, I feel this one will still do well. The melody and chorus are simpler and probably more memorable than 'X My Heart' and assuming she can sing it well and occupy the stage with some energy, it'll likely be one of the better performances of the grand final. The market had some concerns about Mauboy's singing ability given a fairly ropey 2014 Eurovision interval act, but newer videos suggest her voice has improved.
We Got Love's YouTube stats are impressive and Mauboy sings in the first half of the second semi which is an easy qualifier for her, she's quite likely to win it. I don't personally rate the song that highly but can see how it works at Eurovision, it's memorable, upbeat and slickly produced. We Got Love has been tipped as the winning entry, I'll stick my neck out and say no, if it did win it'd be a rather cheap result.
Review: Claudia Pascoal - O Jardim - Portugal
7 Day YouTube Views: 291,078
7 Day YouTube Likes: 6,547
Host nation Portugal return in 2018 with O Jardim sung by Claudia Pascoal. Salvador Sobral (last year's winner for Portugal) called for more depth and meaning to the songs in Eurovision and it seems that they've taken his words to heart this year, presenting the opposite of plastic pop.
The song is a simple, slow ballad with a repeating melody. No vocal theatrics for this one at all. This is a song that seems to split the audience, many think it's beautiful and many think it's rather boring - I personally fall in the latter group. Claudia sings in a breathy way for the entirety of the song, this is a common tactic, used frequently by YouTube singers and X Factor contestants to slow a song down and make it sound ethereal whilst not having to display very much singing talent. Claudia does modulate a little to show she can actually sing but the song itself doesn't really require it, so for the most part it's almost-talking breathiness.
I can't criticise Belgium for being a slow starter and then sing this track's praises, there is a brief period in the middle where a second singer comes in but it hardly gets your blood pumping. Songs that do well in Eurovision generally either entertain the audience or make them cry, Portugal's entry obviously aiming for the heart, but it leaves me rather unmoved. It's easy to entertain people, but songs that go for the emotion play a much tougher game - they really do have to hit the mark and I'm not sure Portugal have achieved that.
The staging footage we have so far is simplistic and will likely remain that way for the live finals. Claudia stands almost alone on stage with her song, the problem for me was the person seated in what appears to be clothing resembling a strait-jacket, facing away from the audience. Nobody can deny this is distracting, nobody can deny that when they first watched this, the flow of the song through their heads was interrupted by wondering what the deal was with the strait-jacket person, it's a distraction and one that doesn't pay off either.
The betting markets have Portugal as 18th favourite, surprisingly I noted behind Denmark which seems to be the punching bag of Eurovision commentariat despite being quite a good song (we thought). Portugal's YouTube views are also disappointing compared to other songs with similar stats, Likes are rather low in particular. Portugal won last year so no semi-final worries for them. The song will probably do well with the juries but I don't have as much hope for the song as others do with regards to the televote. The best thing about this song I'd say - is Claudia herself.
Review: DoReDos - My Lucky Day - Moldova
7 Day YouTube Views: 191,605
7 Day YouTube Likes: 4,708
Following their impressive 3rd place finish last year, Moldova return with DoReDos My Lucky Day, a song that plays very much to the local audience - but not much else.
The initial upbeat Balkan sound suggests this song might work but it's clear that the first twenty seconds of this song are the highlight, however the idea that this song could be a contender is extinguished soon after the vocals come in. Even if they weren't singing English, the melodic structure feels extremely dated - My Lucky Day has the sound of one of those anonymous, plastic 90s pop songs that you'd have completely forgotten about forever until it played on the radio of your rental car as you drove through Spain or something.
Saying this though, while the song stands no hope of winning the competition, it is upbeat, fun and has a sound that will appeal to the Balkanites. What we consider dated in the West is not necessarily so elsewhere. The poor lyrics of the song can be overlooked for similar reasons.
Moldova had a bit of luck being placed in the second semi, they'd have sunk without a trace if they'd been placed in the first, the market is giving a tentative 'yes' that they will qualify from it. While semi final 2 has a lot of duffers, there is probably enough space to fit Moldova in the top 10. Moldova though is another country that comes to Eurovision armed with a stash of brown envelopes filled with cash so there's that element to take into consideration too.
Moldova's YouTube hits are low, but probably still enough to get them through, beyond this though, a place around the bottom of the right-hand side of the screen awaits come the final.
Review: Laura Rizzotto - Funny Girl - Latvia
7 Day YouTube Views: 91,686
7 Day YouTube Likes: 2,434
Latvia joins the line-up in 2018 with the Bond-esque track Funny Girl, a classy ballad with no gimmicks that works very well based on a number of factors, but does it have the oomph to progress it through the semi final?
As mentioned, Funny Girl is reminiscent of Bond themes but the chorus reminded me also of Alicia Keys. Laura Rizzotto is an excellent singer and her delivery should earn her praise from the juries and televote alike. The song itself is very good for a listen, maybe two listens, but beyond that the lack of diversity makes the song a little boring - nothing really gets switched up. Some of the audience may use Latvia's performance to stick the kettle on.
Rizzotto (even her name is delicious) is a Latvian-Brazilian mix and appears to have received the best of both worlds, the understated beauty of Eastern Europe with the body of a Brazilian. Let's not be naive here, she's a good looking girl - and the dress she wears in her music video and National Final performance is likely to win her a few extra televotes.
The market rates Latvia as 36th most likely to win, far below Russia, Switzerland and Moldova - I think the market has been a little harsh here, while it won't set the world on fire, the song does what it says on the tin and is sung to a high standard. While her YouTube stats are a little disappointing, the market seems relatively confident she'll progress past her semi final though, she sings in the second half of the second semi. For us, she scrapes through, maybe a 8th or 9th place qualifier.