I swear I haven't been neglecting you all intentionally, but things have been busy and honestly much of my music-related time has been spent scouring the contestants for this year's Eurovision contest which comes to its epic finale on Saturday May 26 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
While the contest is widely considered a joke when it comes to quality, and is best known for birthing the career of ABBA, I think recent years have displayed some real talent. While the contest is still a guilty pleasure of mine, in the pop world it needs a little more respect. If anything, it's pure fun.
So here it is, my Top 10 picks for the contest this year. It's not necessarily what I think will win, but it's a combination of my opinion on the songs, performances, and realism on whether they could actually win or not. For example, I love Soluna Samay's song and think it's probably the best of this year, but her life performance is incredibly dull, which is why she ranks so low.
Even if you don't follow Eurovision and could care less, consider these 10 cheesy pop tracks that you could add to your guilty pleasure list, or listen to once and forget about forever. Whichever you choose, I will definitely be on the Eurovision website at 3 p.m. EST (9 p.m. CET) streaming the show live.
The Top 10
10. Gréta Salóme & Jónsi - Never Forget
For what Iceland's entry lacks in song quality (it's pretty standard and sort of dull), it makes up for in a whalloping, dramatic live performance. It's just a shame that the passion and talent they have on stage couldn't be used for a more winning song, but the way they rock the violin mid-song gives them some extra credit.
9. Nina Zilli - L'Amore È Femmina (Out Of Love)
Italy chose a sizzling throwback to the '60s for its entry and while the track is quite good it was also a pre-qualifier which means we've seen very little of Nina performing it live. That makes it hard to decide how good the live show really will be on Saturday night. The rehersal footage isn't bad though...
8. Ivi Adamou - La La Love
I've really had trouble getting past the live performance of Ivi Adamou's La La Love, an otherwise fun dance track. There's something about her presence that seems sloppy and silly, and it really hurts her chances. The only thing I can compare it to is a teenage girl in high school performing in her school play, half trying to be "showy" and half in love with her own show. It doesn't work very well, and Cyprus should've seen this early on when they chose her as the performer, whittling down three of her songs to this one. The only factor ranking this song so high is its enthusiasm.
7. Gaitana - Be My Guest
If Gaitana could just rein it in a bit then the entry for Ukraine would be higher in my books, but judging by the way she sang at the Thursday semi-final she can't help but belt it out at a nauseating level. Earlier in the contest she performed the celebratory song without straining so much, but perhaps she was just too excited? Either way, she's no Whitney or Aretha so bring it down a bit.
6. Jedward - Waterline
As much as Jedward gets on my nerves these twins have ambition, and they came back to Eurovision this year with a weaker song (they competed last year with the song Lipstick), but a performance that's full of surprises and really delivers. It starts with their costumes, which look like what would happen if He-Man and She-Ra had gay twin babies, but it builds with the "waterline" and a big wet finale. These guys really want to win, and their efforts are on full display.
Continue onto my Top 5 picks for this year...
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