Finalist: Germany

Nothing livens up a national final quite like a good old scandal does and Germany provided one of the bigger ones of recent times. German tv had to reject winners in the past - Tony Marshall and Corinna May both had to go - but never before had a winner rejected himself on live television.

If you can't have a happy ending, then an expected one will do nicely too. Just a shame that these events made many people unable to see what a catchy little song the Germans were left with once the original winner was gone.

I was perfectly pleased with the selection but there are clouds on this sky. Ann Sophie isn't highly experienced with performing in front of tv cameras and you can tell. She doesn't really know where to look and how to move in order to make herself look appealing on-screen.

That's fixable with a fair share of coaching. Later performances suggest this could have been taken care of. Unfortunately her voice tends to go a bit sharp and screechy here and there. Is that fixable too?

A potential winner?
I really don't think it is. A good radio song that could hopefully pick up some good points from here and there, but a top ten showing would be a good outcome for this one.

My grade: 3/5



Ann Sophie - Black Smoke (Germany 2015)

Finalist: France

Eurovision is a lovely contest in the sense that doing your best can carry a very long way. Tiny nations like Luxembourg and Monaco have won, Iceland and Malta have been very close. Just do your best and you will be rewarded sooner or later.

Or you can do whatever the French think they are doing. I wish I knew how a country with a vibrant and happening music scene could end up internally selecting a song that could just as well have competed forty years ago.

Being one of the Big Five - with a given spot in the final every year - should add a bit of pressure, methinks. It should inspire these countries to use their privilege wisely and send in bold and interesting entries that could push the limits a bit.

The French Ballad doesn't push a single limit. It is pretty and well written. Lisa has a strong voice with a warm timbre that is pleasant to listen to. But it feels like not even she connects with this song.

For crying out loud: she is singing about a village wiped out at war but sounds more like she sings about cotton candy or what dress to wear to the upcoming cocktail party or what kind of sandwich to prepare for her mid-morning snack. Where is the emotion?

Some people say this is the Grand Return of the Big Ballad. I say it is a snoozefest. I say France is about to have yet another dismal result coming their way.

A potential winner?
Definitely not. If this one makes top twenty, the French should celebrate for a week.

My grade: 1/5



Lisa Angell - N'oubliez pas (France 2015)

Finalist: Austria

Ever since I started watching other countries national finals regularly in the late 1990's, I have longed for Austria to win and for ORF to finally get to host the event.

Add to that my fondness for Austrian entries through the years - I often enjoyed many of those odd numbers that were consistently ignored by juries and televoters alike. I also believe it is good when generally unsuccessful countries get to win. (Come on, Portugal!)

The best thing - besides Conchita's tremendous breakthrough of course - is that the Austrian national final seems to have been injected with some new life force and vitality. There were several entries there that could have represented Austria gracefully on home ground.

The winner wasn't even my favourite, but singled out like this it feels like a solid and well performed little soul ballad. Clean-cut and enjoyable, encumbered only by the fact that there are already a million songs in the world that sound exactly like this.

It will prove to be an oasis for the viewers who like soul, though. And given by the abundance of this type of music on the radio, they could be quite a few.

A potential winner?
Most probably not. A solid song with a solid performance but hardly exciting enough to capture enough attention to win. But if it gets surrounded by the right kind of songs, it could at least have a shot at making the top ten.

My grade: 3/5



The Makemakes - I Am Yours (Austria 2015)

Finalist: Australia

In all fairness it was a bit of a surprise learning that Australia would participate with an entry in Vienna. But it was almost equally surprising to hear the song selected by SBS.

The first reports suggested we would have one more ballad coming from down under. Maybe they listened through the other songs on offer and had a change of heart. Thank heavens for that.

Instead Australia is sending us a proper dose of uptempo, an infectious beat and some very happy moods. Guy Sebastian is a star and performs like one. The song is impeccably produced and sounds just like a hit.

It sounds good enough to fool almost anyone. At closer examination, it proves to be more of a good mood and a nifty production than an outstanding song. Good but not outstanding.

According to what the EBU has said, Australia's only chance of taking part again next year is to win in Vienna. The big question is what is more important in the end - the song or the uptempo?

A potential winner?
Absolutely. In a year with such an abundance of ballads and mid tempo any song with as much temper as this must stand a good chance. Add the novelty of Australia being Australia and you will have loads of focus on this one. If you also add a potentially brilliant spot in the running order, this could prove to be unbeatable. Even when the song isn't stronger than it is.

My grade: 3/5



Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again (Australia 2015)

Semi 2: 17 Poland

The running order can really make or break you in the ESC. If you get a too early spot or if you get drowned in a row of similar entries you can have your chances pretty much ruined. And the other way around.

Poland should buy the Austrian producers chocolate and flowers for giving them the golden spot of performing last in this semi.

Their entry is pretty but not exceptional but that together with Monika's gripping back story, visual appearance as well as the advantage of being the last of many standard ballads will work in its favour.

Maybe it sounds like I'm no bigger fan of it, but I actually quite enjoy it. It sounds like a very nice album track, something that the fans can love at a concert. But it doesn't sound like a hit single and had it swapped starting positions with Ireland it wouldn't stand a chance.

Qualifier:
Yes, thanks to the starting position. And I really don't mind.

My grade: 3/5



Monika Kuszyńska - In The Name Of Love (Poland 2015)

Semi 2: 16 Slovenia

Sometimes it is so easy to deceive yourself when you try to predict the results in the ESC. Sometimes you just want something so much that you will believe almost anything. And I would really really want Slovenia to have some success now.

I have always had a soft spot for them ever since they made their debut as an independent country and some years I really thought they had their big time coming. And every time I was left a tiny bit disappointed afterwards.

This is all just in my defence in case Slovenia would happen to crash and burn in Vienna but I really think they are on to something. In this line-up, their entry stands out as pretty contemporary and has quite a few things to distinguish it from the rest. The piano part, the violin. The dancer doing an air-violin routine.

Even the headphones. I don't know if it is peculiar or plain silly but neither will anyone else and they will stay in people's minds. And then the chorus is really rather good too.

Qualifier:
Yes. That's a no-brainer. The question is how far it will carry in the final. I have a feeling in my old bones that this could result in Slovenia's best placing to date, but I've been wrong before.

My grade: 4/5



Maraaya - Here For You (Slovenia 2015)

Semi 2: 15 Cyprus

Fifteen years ago the world was full of boybands who looked cute, danced a little bit and sang parts for dear life while twinkling at their audiences with their starry eyes. Most of those boybands had at least one song that sounded exactly like this year's Cypriot entry.

In other words there will be no points to Cyprus for being original or groundbreaking this time around. This is a very safe little song that won't shock anyone.

At first I couldn't quite believe how safe and inoffensive it was. Not to mention dull. I found it frighteningly dull. I had to rub my eyes as it won the national final.

First impressions don't always last and I must admit to having warmed to this one since. Somehow it works. Somehow it feels believable. Dear John looks at us the way the boybands did and when he says he's sorry I really think he is.

With an extreme portion of luck this could turn out to be almost as successful as its twin song "Stronger Every Minute" - Cyprus' most successful entry to date.

Qualifier:
Yes, thanks to it's fortunate slot in the running order. And thanks to the sweet performance.

My grade: 3/5



John Karayannis - One Thing I Should Have Done (Cyprus 2015)