Super-Saturday Round Up

The biggest day of the year viz National Finals has come and gone. There are some good songs, some shite songs and there is a most definitive single digit salute to the Contest from Ireland.

The Good:
First song of the year to go in our special category 'too good for Eurovision' is Bulgaria's dance track - 'DJ, Take Me Away' by Deep Zone & Balthazar. Two DJs attacking their turntables whilst one of their Dads plays guitar (seriously). The female vocalist does a great job in the studio. Interestingly, they've done a re-mix of last year's entrant from Bulgaria.

Iceland didn't send our fave (Ho Ho Ho We Say Hey Hey Hey) but the re-vamped version of 'This Is My Life' (originally Fullkomið líf) should see Eurobandið get to the Grand Final with help from Western Europe.

Poland has opted for US-born Isis Gee (real name: Tamara Gołębiowska / Tamara Wimer) who will sing 'For Life' - a adult-contemporary ballad of the Shiri Maimon mould.

The Bad:
Apparently everyone under 50 years in Croatia was out doing the town on Saturday night, coz escapees from the nursing home have won Dora. Kraljevi Ulice featuring 75 cents (a 75 year old vocalist) will perform 'Romanca.'

FY Macedonia is doing it by the numbers with a lifeless Pink rip-off with two annoying male rappers interrupting it. Tamara Todevska featuring Vrčak & Adrian Gadza will perform 'Vo Imeto Na Ljubovta' (In the name of love).

Turkey and Ukraine had announced their singers a while ago, but the songs have just been revealed. Mor ve Ötesi (Turkey) have a unengaging heavy-rock pop song called 'Deli' (Eng. nuts, crazy, insane). Ani Lorak's Shady Lady was selected as the best of the five songs she presented to Ukraine. The other four must have been woeful!

And the Ugly:
Ireland have clearly decided that parody is the best form of defence - and are sending their version of Ozzie Ostrich: Dustin the Turkey. The song would not be out of place on a teen's mobile phone (yep - its that crap) but the lyrics are amusing enough:
"Drag acts and bad acts and Terry Wogan's wig...
Give us another chance, we're sorry for Riverdance"

Romania may face a crisis - after it selected Nico & Vlad Miriţă with 'Pe-o margine de lume.' If you listen closely you'll hear quite a bit of Italian in the lyrics - if you listen very closely to David Bustamante's 'La magia del corazón' from the Spanish National Finals, 2002; you'll hear where this song was stolen from!