Serbia - Nina - Caroban

SERBIA

Nina - Caroban

Serbia come to the Eurovision song contest 2011 on their fifth outing as a lone nation. A victory in 2007 was followed by a 6th place on home soil with disappointment the following year when the nation fell at the semi final hurdle. Milan Stankovic probably exceeded expectations lat year coming 13th in the final and this year Nina has been selected to represent Serbia with the retro inspired Caroban.

Nina has had some experience in singing around her homeland as part of a band but this is her first major outing in solo terms and certainly winning the Serbian selection is her biggest achievement to date. On stage though she oozes class, sassiness and confidence and if the staging is anything like it was in the Serbian Selection this will look fantastic on stage and certainly stand out as something different.

Serbia have produced a song that is very retro, which at the moment is actually a contemporary route to take. A heck of lot of succesful artists all over Europe are of late turning to retro sounds and nostalgica tones and finding it works on the wide audience. Very few have been as overtly retro has this 60's inspired ditty, but this sound is becoming ever more popualr again and it may just work to Serbias favor. It has a catchy chorus and definitely  sounds something from the 60's in the pop world and 70's and even 80's Eurovision entries.

However although I think this has an excellent chance of making the final and I feel that it will come around 8th in the Semi Final, I feel it lacks that final bit punch it needs to challenge the top 8. A position around 13th-15th is predicted from this blog and that would be a fair reflection for what is a fun, retro inspired track

Spain - Lucia Perez - Que me quiten lo bailao

SPAIN

Lucia Perez - Que me quiten lo bailao

Spain have failed to make an impact in recent years in the Eurovision Song contest despite trying a vast range of methods to select their song. This year the task of overcoming the recent streak of bad results goes to Lucia Perez with the song "Que me quiten lo bailao". Starting in 2001 Spain achieved four back to back top ten finished but since have only comes as high as 15th last year with Daniel Diges (with the famous stage invasion of course) with many of the entires becoming below 20th. Lucia Perez will of course be lining up in the final as one of the automatically qualified nations but can she get Spain back into the top 10?

Personally, I feel this is a strong, Spanish flavored pop song which has a sing along melody, and upbeat chorus and all round good feel to it. Perez is a strong singer and the whole staging should be fantastic. i am a big fan of this song but sadly feel it will be another year with Spain languishing in the lower half of the table. For some reason the Spanish songs of late, of which this is a prime example, are not connecting with the wider Eurovision audience. I would love to see Lucia Perez have a great year and get into that top 10 but sadly she won't and I predict an excellent performance on stage but a final placing of around 18th-21st.

Romania - Hotel FM - Change

ROMANIA

Hotel FM - Change

Romania have been involved in every Eurovision final since 2002, making it out the semi final every time they have been placed there. After a few lowly placed finishes in the final itself, last year Paula Selling and Ovi performed above expectations to come third. Thus Hotel Fm, with their song "Change", head into the contest with a tough precedent to beat. Do they have what it takes?

The band have been formed for 6 years with a strong of CD's released and a failed attempt in 2010 to make the Eurovision Song contest. However they returned to the Romanian National Final this year with "Change" and eased to a victory. They will head into the into the Second Semi Final in Dusseldorf on May 12th.

The song has a very mid-90's feel it and definitely seems dated in every aspect from the arrangement, the music and even the vocals. It does sound very familiar and the melody is a simple one. The lead singer of the band does have a strong voice but it has a grating sound to it, especially when performed live. It seems fine at first but as the song goes the voice begins to grate on you and it becomes quite intolerable by the end. I have found this to be very annoying on later listening and have grown to see the song for what it appears to be, a simple, almost-cheesy pop song by numbers.

There is nothing new or special here but I think its simple enough and styled in a fashion that will see it qualify from a a very tough Semi. I don't think for one second it deserves the place in the final and hope I am wrong but I forsee this getting into around 9th or 10th in the Semi and ending up maybe 18th-20th in the final.

Lithuania - Evelina Sasenko - C'est Ma Vie

LITHUANIA

Evelina Sasenko - C'est Ma Vie

After hearing this song it will be of no great surprise to you that not only is Evelina Sasenko a student of theater but she also shot to fame through an Opera contest on TV. "C'est Ma Vie" is the very theatrical ballad that will represent Lithuania in the Eurovision Song contest 2011. After mixed results in recent years, including a failure to qualify last year with Inculto,  Evelina will be hoping to lead Lithuania back to the Eurovision final!

To be frank, Sasenko has a great chance of making the final. The song is a a very obvious ballad and is nicely placed in the Semi final draw. It really is touch and go in my book and could come down to how well Sasenko delivers the song on the night. There is no doubting she is an excellent singer, perhaps even one of the best in the entire contest and if she can give a vocal performance she can make the final.

The has a classic ballad feel and the mixture of languages used adds a certain beauty. It she does make the final, which I am starting to think she may, I would expect her to fill up the bottom 4 places. Making the final alone in a tough ESC year will be a good achievement for this song!

Israel - Dana International - Ding Dong

ISRAEL

Dana International - Ding Dong

Viva la Diva! Dana International's inevitable return to the stage that made her famous is upon us and this year the song "Ding Dong" will represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dusseldorf. What are her chances of repeating the victory of 1998?

Israel of course have not won the contest since Dana last stepped foot on stage in the ESC and have a mixed bag of results since ranging from 3 top ten finishes to two failures to qualify. Last year Harel Skaat was predicted to come much higher but due to a bad vocal performance ended up 14th. This year Dana will certainly be hoping to do better!

I have no doubts that this will qualify for the final, it has enough to beat the rival songs in the Semi Final and the curse of the returning winner should not strike Dana. After all returning winners in recent years have failed to make anywhere near the impact of their initial victories, Nimah Kavangah and Charlotte Perrelli for instance. 

Dana of course will be a huge photo opportunity in Israel and along with Jedward will provide hog the limelight in the run up. I have no doubt she will try in some way to make headlines whether it be for her on stage results or behind the scenes ramblings. She won't want the whole contest to pass by without some issue or event that revolves around her.

Nevertheless, her chances of winning are very slim once in the final. I cant imagine this breaking into the top 8 and realistically expect a finish around 13th-15th for Dana. There is nothing wrong with the song per se, but its all a bit paint-by-numbers, with an old fashioned title and the chorus doesn't bite as much as it should. With a redraft of the song and a few changes it may challenge the top 10 but I foresee Dana qualifying for the final and coming around half way down the leader board. 

Belarus - Anastasia Vinnikova - I Love Belarus

BELARUS

Anastasia Vinnikova - I Love Belarus

After Anastasia Vinnikova's original "Born in Beylrorussia" song was disqualified from the contest after being selected to represent Belarus at Eurovision a change was needed and the song "I Love Belarus" replaced it still be Vinnikova at the helm.

Both are anthemic tributes to her homeland. Patriotic, shout along almost football esque chanting chorus with a totally forgettable verse. Vinnikova is a powerful singer and delivers the whole package well however the nature of the song may see it slide off into obscurity this year.

In the past 7 contests, after debuting in 2004, Belarus has failed to make much of an impact. Koldun's "Work Your Magic" was heavily tipped in 2007 and coming in home in 6th came the nation their highest ever placing but aside from that last years "Butterflies" from 3 + 2 is the only other entry to reach the final coming 24th.

"I Love Belarus" will not however break this trend and certainly won't outdo Koldun. The song is a very basic pop song with a chanting chorus that will only appeal really to Belarussians. A few may be won over by the patriotic nature of the song but at the end of the day the contest is modernizing and Anastasia Vinnikova simply will not get away with a song called "I Love Belarus".

An unlikely qualifier!

Malta - Glen Vella - One Life

MALTA

Glen Vella - One Life

Malta are perhaps one of the nations that love ESC more than any other. Each year they come to the contest with high hopes for a contest they clearly have a national passion for. After missing three of the last four finals they are hoping to return this year and it was Glen Vella who proved victorious in the national final. Will One Life be the song to end Malta's poor string of results and return to the heights of when Chiara and Ira Losco were challenging for victory? Sadly not and Malta may find themselves watching the final without a contender.

Glen Vella himself has tried to represent his nation three times in the past and found victory in 2011 in the Maltese selection with One Life, ironically the weakest of the attempts he has made to get to Eurovision. It is a very mid-90's esque dance track, sung badly, with a unmemorable chorus the likes of which has been heard at Eurovision before a million times.

Not only that, but Vella himself lacks any sort of stage presence, has a poor nasally voice that doesn't work well with the song and his lack of vocal competence will be shown up on the big stage where far better singers surround him.

Overall, and I am sad to say it as I love Malta's enthusiasm for the contest, this is a dated, forgettable and all together lifeless song that will fail to get out of the Semi Final. Another year for Malta in which they will watch the final as on outsider.