I’ve got a new wave of assignments to grade today. Today we are checking out LADANIVA (Armenia), Mustii (Belgium), Baby Lasagna (Croatia), Aiko (Czechia), Eden Golan (Israel), Angelina Mango (Italy), Sarah Bonnici (Malta), iolanda (Portugal), MEGARA (San Marino), and Nebulossa (Spain).
LADANIVA – Jako
The first thing that jumps out at me about this song is how energetic it is. Jaklin Baghdasaryan is so bright and optimistic while still scolding you about being too judgemental. It also has a nice rhythm to it. I wonder if it has an unusual time signature to it. The only critique I can give to it is that I wish it had been longer. I think it might be the shortest song in the competition. A short and energetic party, but worth listening to.
Grade: A
Mustii – Before the Party’s Over
Production-wise, this song builds nicely with a strong and slow melody before it ends with a big explosion. I heard that Mustii got his fans to sing the bridge so he could put it in the outro. I think the choir of voices is a nice way to end the song. That being said, the one thing about the song that gives me pause is the ambiguity of the lyrics. I’m not sure what Mustii is trying to say in relation to the title. Is there something that needs to be done “before the party is over”? Is Mustii singing in general about the state of a party right before it ends? The lack of clarity in the lyrics is what took points off for me.
Grade: B
Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim
The thing that kept running through my mind while listening to the song is: Baby Lasagna should just bring the cat with him if he’s going to miss it so much. It’s hard to put the jokes aside when evaluating this song. How harshly can I grade it when the song doesn’t even take itself seriously? While I laughed a whole bunch listening to this song, it bothers me that the instrumental changes aren’t motivated by anything, other than the fact that it will be performed live. It makes the song not that interesting to listen to without an accompanying spectacle.
Grade: C
Aiko – Pedestal
It took me another listen to start liking this song. This isn’t a style of music I typically gravitate towards and the lyrics can get a bit repetitive. Once I listened to it a second time, I was able to appreciate the lyrics of the song more. You get the feeling that Aiko is speaking from a place of weariness. Just take a look at the second verse:
Love of your life, just please don’t ask
For any actions or any proof
Oh the irony
Where did my pride go?
I feel no shame, but you should and now I know
Something tells me she has experienced this first-hand (look no further than the dialogue section for proof). However, I feel like the song fizzles for me after the dialogue section. The song sounds like it’s building to something chaotic, but then Aiko just repeats herself again. At the very least, I would have wanted something to change in the instrumentation to give the song a bit more finality. I did appreciate the high note, though.
Grade: B
Eden Golan – Hurricane
Eden Golan’s vocal agility is on full display in this song, not to mention her raspy vocal timbre. However, similar to my complaint about Mustii, the lyrics don’t make a lot of sense to me. I’m aware that this song had to undergo a lot of… rewrites, and unfortunately it shows. But then again, the ambiguity of the lyrics reminds me of the critiques I had towards another Eden from Israel, so maybe there was bound to be a lack of clarity. It also doesn’t help that the lyrics employ a lot of clichés. On that note, I found the production a bit corny as well. I wasn’t a big fan of the water droplets and the breathing noises after the first chorus. Overall, a solid sentimental ballad if you don’t look at the finer details.
Grade: B
Angelina Mango – La noia
I love the attitude of this song. Not only is this song a bop, but the lyrics contain a lot of bite. Angelina Mango does a good job of giving off bratty teenager vibes. She speaks of her frustration in having the blissful life that previous generations have provided for her. It’s tiring to experience resentment over “having it too easy.” With a catchy song and thoughtful lyrics, this act is topped with Angelina Mango’s impressive vocals. Near the end of the song, she goes a cappella to really show off her singing abilities. I think Italy is bound to be near the top of the leaderboard for another year.
Grade: A
Sarah Bonnici – Loop
I always feel weird commenting on the studio version of a song because the live performance has always been more important in the Eurovision Song Contest. Personally, I’m looking for songs to listen to even after the contest is over. Upon listening to the studio verson of “Loop,” I found a lot of technical issues. Firstly, Sarah Bonnici’s voice is getting swallowed by the instrumentals. Even when she sings an interesting melody, I don’t feel the full force of it because she’s so far back in the mix. I’ll be honest, the vocal run she does before the last chorus feels like it goes on for a little too long. In general, the song felt uninspired, so it already was in a bad place to begin with. Paired with a messy execution, it’s safe to say I won’t be going back to this song.
Grade: D
iolanda – Grito
When it comes to slow, sentimental, and sad, no one does it better than Portugal. I think what impressed me the most about iolanda’s performance is how clear her vocals are. She sings the high note at the climax of the song with ease. The accompanying instrumental is subtle but noteworthy. I love the bass synth that comes in the second verse. Not to mention the cadence of the words makes you feel like you’re stumbling down a treacherous hill. While its presentation isn’t flashy, this song clearly takes a lot of skill and iolanda handles it perfectly.
Grade: A
MEGARA – 11:11
In case their wardrobe didn’t give you any hints, MEGARA clearly have a love for theatrics. The song starts with a cheesy symphonic intro before being interrupted by electronic glitch noises. The frontwoman, Kenzy, shows off her range in the first verse and delivers a playful and carefree attitude in her delivery of the lyrics. Another interesting addition to the song is the classical guitar in the instrumental break. I can’t explain why, but “11:11” is hard for me to evaluate. The premise of the song is clear: MEGARA are a rock band singing a rock song about rock. I guess there isn’t much to dissect there. Everything in the song works, but there wasn’t anything in particular that grabbed me. Even so, it would be nice to see San Marino qualify for the finals.
Grade: C
Nebulossa – ZORRA
I have to give a big fat disclaimer: synthwave isn’t my favourite genre. While I can’t say I would have listened to this song of my own free will, I absolutely love the lyrics to “ZORRA.” Listening to the lyrics got me riled up over how people tend to view anything a woman does as promiscuous. To further prove Nebulossa’s point, when I was listening to this song on YouTube Music, it flagged this song as explicit because “zorra” is considered a vulgar word. Ugh. It’s a good thing that the message of the song is to live your life regardless of what other people think because someone will always disapprove. I can’t give Nebulossa an A because the song doesn’t push any boundaries musically, but it still gets high praise from me.
Grade: B
Check out these acts and the rest of the competitors here.