I suppose they will need to find a way to deepen Fab Freddie's role or we will be seriously fed up with him long before the final but otherwise most things worked.
Initial reports suggested this second week was weak song-wise, so I heard the minute-long snippets with low expectations. And maybe that's the way it should always been done as I felt pleasantly surprised.
01. Samir & Viktor / Shuffla
Remember the old hit "You're my favourite waste of time"? That's how I feel about Samir & Viktor. Under no circumstances would I want them sent anywhere near the ESC but I liked their first two entries and I really enjoy this. Dumb but good-hearted and fun.
02. Ida Redig / Allting som vi sa
A bit of a personal favourite in the making if this stays good for three minutes. I enjoy Ida's voice and I am a bit of a sucker for this kind of pop outside of the ESC bubble. However, it never works and the audience never votes for it.
03. Jonas Gardell / Det finns en väg
One of Jonas Gardell's main assets is a complete fearlessness about balancing on the verge of being totally pretentious and pathetic. He's one of the few who could enter with something like this without risking his reputation and this will be good promo for his coming show, but in no way is this a hit song in the making.
04. Margaret / In My Cabana
Maybe I was the only one not to be surprised when Margaret failed in the Polish final in 2016, but I thought she was the weak spot of her entry then. Let's see if she improved, as this is a much warmer and appealing little piece of pop nonsense. Tobson approves.
05. Stiko Per Larsson / Titta vi flyger
Every year one entry qualifies for MF through the Svensktoppen nästa talent search and every year this happens. A piece of music so obviously going to not be a contender that you keep asking yourself who allows this to go on. Sounds more like the weakest track on an album by Di sma undar jårdi (12 points if you get that reference) than an MF entry.
06. Mimi Werner / Songburning
Mimi would so deserve a big break as she has the voice and everything else you could wish for. This song is good but does it become too repetitive in the end? This could just as well be a surprise finalist as this week's number five.
07. Liamoo / Last Breath
Instantly dubbed this week's sure qualifier by everybody else but I wouldn't be too sure. Here's a darkness that could be off-putting as well as a surprisingly lack-lustre staging. I'm not a huge rap connoisseur in any way, but doesn't it sound a bit... clichéd? This won't be the walk in the park some people expected it to be.
Tonight's prediction is this:
Final: Samir & Viktor and Liamoo
Andra Chansen: Margaret and Mimi Werner
5th: Ida Redig
Out: Jonas Gardell and Stiko Per Larsson
Liamoo feels more like Andra Chansen than a finalist but I don't know who would beat him if so. If Margaret finds a lot of warmth and charm and nails the cameras, that could be it. Ida in fifth place is pure wishful thinking, but she deserves it more than Jonas Gardell.
I will live tweet during Melodifestivalen and then catch up with Sanremo after that.
Follow @TobsonHelsinki
No comments:
Post a Comment