New Release: Bridgit Mendler - Hurricane

June 24, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

I was surprised to find this on iTunes today, I thought I'd see if it was out because my iTunes shuffler put on 'Top Of The World' which is one of her tracks on her album 'Hello My Name Is...' and here was the single with a remix EP. I was so happy I bought it and have been playing all the tracks over and over again, it's so catchy and the remixes are interesting, yet I am disappointed by the album artwork, it looks like it was done on a whim, why can't we have the American album artwork? The UK's looks really amateurish, hope it doesn't put people off from buying it. Her single "Ready Or Not" got to number seven here in the UK, I doubt this will do as well since it hasn't gained much radio play, but I'm hoping it charts okayish, at least.

The song was written by Bridgit Mendler, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou, Evan "Kidd" Bogart and Andrew "Goldstein" Goldstein. The song is about love and falling for it every time even after boarding up the windows and locking her heart. It's catchy and sticks in my mind easily, it's just a shame that it hasn't really been picked up by radio and people won't hear it often enough to go out and download the song to give this song the charting position it needs.

The music video is more of a performance side to things than anything else. There is a very small narrative that is hardly discernible. In the narrative Bridgit Mendler's co-star in 'Lemonade Mouth' can be seen as her best friend, played by Naomi Scott, for those of you (including me) who don't watch 'Lemonade Mouth', you may have seen her in 'Terra Nova' playing 'Maddy Shannon'.

Naomi Scott comforts Bridgit Mendler and takes her out for some clubbing, which clears her head, but that's all there is to a narrative, and I feel there should've been much more to it.

The performance side of things is featured much more often, there are various places she sings the song, one is on a white background which leaves very little to the imagination. She performs well clearly emphasising her thoughts when it comes to this song and it's engaging, with a lot of energy, the club scene is pretty involving, also making me want to go out clubbing, I haven't gone out in months! And as for this bit by the house or wall or wherever she is, I feel it links in with the 'boarding up the windows' part, yet there is no windows being boarded up, and although this scene is featured very little, it's the one that links in the most with this song.

Overall a great song, you really much check out the remixes too, they're as good as the song. The music video fails to entertain, a solid narrative is what is needed, something not too far from Mandia Nantsios' "One Last Time". The performance could have been much better, and more or less links in with the UK album art than anything else. This just seems like it was created on a whim, with little thinking behind it.

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Krista Siegfrids - Amen!

June 17, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments


Krista Seigfrids may not have done well in Eurovision this year, yet she's not letting it knock her down, oh no, her new single is on fire, what with over 200,000 hits on YouTube and getting good reviews across the board, this is one girl who is not going down without a fight. And I intend to support her all the way!

"Amen!" was written by Krista Siegfrids, Erik Nyholm, Jessika Lundstrom, and Kristofer Karlsson. The song is different to "Marry Me" yet is still outrageously catchy, that no other song will knock this out of my head for the rest of today. It hasn't been released in the UK as of yet, but I'm hoping it does, as I reckon it will do well, if radio play picks up, I have been requesting it lots, and I hope it gets lots of promotion.

The music video is raunchy, but that is who Krista Siegfrids is, after seeing "Marry Me" music video along with the performance at Eurovision. This is someone who isn't afraid.

The video reminds me of Basshunter's videos because it's a continuation of the previous video, and if this is exactly what Krista Siegfrids plans then I'm excited where this one will lead.

The music video announces at the start that she did get married a couple of months ago yet 'Needless to say: it didn't last' according to the writing at the start.

The song is all about starting a new life, and her husband releasing her, and she is clearly more alive than ever. The limousine scene reminds me of Tyler James' "Single Tear" and she is currently getting a lot of comparisons to Katy Perry and Ke$ha... But she is totally herself, and I can't wait to see what more she gives to us.

Overall a song that will be on my mind for today, if not for the rest of the week. The music video relates well, and has a loose but well-fitting link with "Marry Me". This girl is going to be a star, she just needs to push herself and show how much a mistake everyone was for not voting for her in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.

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New Release: Ruth Lorenzo - The Night

June 17, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Ruth Lorenzo is back! It's official, her second single is actually going to be released here to the UK, and I'm so happy. I just can't stop talking about this song to people and I have been listening to it over and over again, I am really hoping it will chart this Sunday, but there's no sign of this song on the iTunes top 1000, it needs to chart people, you need to buy it now! This has been a long time coming to be honest, and her first single "Burn" didn't get released in the UK, so this makes it her debut here, but with little promotion and not a lot behind her, will she suffer? Well with this voice she will not be defeated, and I do see her eventually gaining the chart numbers she needed.

Ruth Lorenzo is from The X Factor UK, and came fifth in the fifth series. Her fellow contestants also got recording contracts and stuff, here's where they are now... Alexandra Burke (winner) working on her third album, has three number one singles and is kick-starting her career in the U.S.; JLS (second) are due to break-up, they have four albums behind them, five number one singles and are getting ready to release a greatest hits; Eoghan Quigg (third), one album, one single, and has disappeared from the spotlight; Diana Vickers (fourth), one album with a second being released soon, one number one single; Rachel Hylton (sixth) just starting up; Daniel Evans (seventh) released a single and album but failed to chart and has disappeared from the spotlight; Laura White (eighth), one single, has an album in the works and is now working under the stage name 'Martha'; Bad Lashes (twelfth) disbanded after releasing one single.

"The Night" was written by Ruth Lorenzo and Tim Ross. The song was originally called 'The Night Belongs To Us', and was given as a free download to her fans on FaceBook a couple of years back, and now it has been turned into a single, with remixes, that are great to listen to. The song is extremely catchy after a few plays, and her voice is outstanding, it's a shame she never got to the final of The X Factor, Simon Cowell missed out on something good here. Her emotion comes across amazingly, and I still think her rendition of Prince's "Purple Rain" on The X Factor sing-off is one of the best performances ever, I don't think anyone can top it.

The music video is mainly a performance piece but has a slight narrative that I find similar to Avril Lavigne's "Wish You Were Here". The narrative tightens heart strings and kind of displays her emotion out on a plate, however I think there should've been more to it, it lacks something crucial, maybe it would have been good to include past memories that she is thinking about.

The performance side of things to this music video is theatrical in a good way, you know her live performances will be full of energy and vibes that will reach across to the fans.

Overall a great song that gets stuck in my head really easily. The music video lacks a solid narrative, and the performance piece has lighting which doesn't always keep her in the light. The video, at the end of the day could be better, and be improved, yet it goes well with the song.

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Avril Lavigne - Sk8er Boi

June 16, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Avril Lavigne is my Sunday Revisit, purely because I cannot believe I have not reviewed this music video yet, plus her new song "Here's To Never Growing Up" was meant to be released today or tomorrow. Instead it has been pushed back a month, for reasons I am unsure of, hopefully she will put in more performances to help promote it, since everyone will have forgotten her performance on The Voice UK, in a month's time. Her new song has remnants of her old style and fingers crossed it will give her, her first UK number one single... Time will tell if it hits the top spot.

"Sk8er Boi" was written by Avril Lavigne, Lauren Christy, Scott Spock and Graham Edwards. The song did well all across the world, but only managed number eight here in the UK. The song is great, and I love the lyric chorus changing past half way. This song really tells a great story, but the video is just as good.

The video brings out the Avril Lavigne sk8er chick, who we all used to love so much. And yet she still has it as her latest video to "Here's To Never Growing Up" proved.

The video shows promotion at the start, with a slight narrative, as there is a 'sk8er boi' promoting the song as well as skating around her. Then it develops into this gig, filled with lots of energy, exactly what we expect to see at an Avril Lavigne concert (I still haven't seen her live, I hope I will in the near future)!

The thing I like about most of Avril Lavigne's music videos is that she includes her backing band, at the time of this video her backing band included Evan Taubenfeld (who returned for the video to "Here's To Never Growing Up"), Jesse Colburn, Mark Spicoluk and Matt Brann.

Overall a great song with a perfect accompanying music video. It is possible to stick a whole narrative to this song, yet they have decided to do it a different way, and it really works. So you can gather what my rating will be...

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Echo Park - Circles

June 12, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Echo Park, is a new band that came to my attention after James, the bass player, asked if I would review them on my blog, and here we are. They are June's "Artist Of The Month" with a special twist... Usually I'm not normally impressed with these requests, new unsigned bands don't usually have the quality and the connection that most famous bands do... But this band is different, and I'm sure Echo Park will be a name we'll be uttering with excitement. They are a five-piece band consisting of Laurence Brundson, Michael Walden, Jordan Buck, Max Santos and James Gregory. They sound totally original and I can't think of a single band they sound like, they are unique, and so great to listen to. They have aspects of Kids In Glass Houses, Hundred Reasons and Brand New. Keep an eye on these guys, they won't be quite unknown for long.

"Circles" was written by the band, they usually write as a collaborative effort, sounds like song writing comes naturally to them. Echo Park said of the song: "It's about being fatally attracted to someone you can't have and you know will only be bad for you." It's extremely catchy and I have played it too many times, I think I know most of the lyrics. It gets stuck in my head and I can't stop singing along to it. If you like it too, you can get a free download of the song from here: http://echoparkofficial.bandcamp.com/

The music video is a performance piece. I was expecting a typical first music video from a new band, they tend to be music videos where the band performs the song, and there's nothing special about the video, and the band fails to give any energy vibes. But like I said before, this band is different and this video proves that.

They are full of energy and emotion, and I just want to see them live now, knowing that the vibes they send out to their fans are real.

The lighting makes this video much more interesting to watch and definitely points out each of the members of the band. This is such a great introductory music video, one for the fans to recognise and identify the band members so that their future music videos will be just as great to watch.

Overall a great song that I can't help but tell people about, and I hope I am making more fans of this band. The music video relates so well and gives us an introduction to what this band is like. I have no problems with the video, and I can't wait to see what the future brings for these guys... Don't forget to download the song here: http://echoparkofficial.bandcamp.com/ as well as checking out my EXCLUSIVE in "Artist Of The Month".

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Avril Lavigne - Here's To Never Growing Up

June 11, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Avril Lavigne is officially back, and you knew I was going to review this music video. This song is released next week, but will she score her first UK number one single? Well going back to her roots in this video could be exactly what puts her on the top of the chart, and I guess this planned performance on The Voice UK this weekend could go in her favour, unless it goes completely wrong, which it won't. She is getting ready to release her fifth album at the end of the year. And if this single is anything to go by, it could be her best album thus far.

"Here's To Never Growing Up" was written by Avril Lavigne, David Hodges (Evanescence fame), Chad Kroeger (Avril's fiancé as well as lead singer of Nickelback), Jacob Kasher and Martin Johnson (lead singer of Boys Like Girls). Seems like an all-star writing cast, and hence why this song is so catchy, and has hit various charts across the world. But the only number one coming from the Philippines. Could the UK follow suit, and get Avril her first UK single number one, we did it for The Saturdays with "What About Us", it's about time Avril got a single UK number one.

The music video has Avril written all over it. Back to the roots with her song, so the music video does the exact same. What with the "Complicated" skater costume, as well as bringing back her old backing band.

That's right, Evan Taubenfeld and Devin Bronson return on stage with Avril and her current backing band drummer Rodney Howard. No wonder Avril had fun on set, who wouldn't when meeting up with old friends?

There isn't really a narrative, just her having fun with a load of other people, there's a prom and she's performing with her band, as well as wrecking the school, making sure the whole school can hear her sing the lyrics, as well as having fun in a pool. Just a normal day in Avril's world.

Overall a great song that I can't stop listening to, I have my fingers crossed that it hits the charts at number one here in the UK next week, but guess we won't know for sure until next Sunday, you can do it Avril! The music video is typical Avril Lavigne, not growing up, having fun and just letting loose, I have no problems with this video because it's exactly what I expected and more, and relates to the song perfectly. I am not being biased with my rating, this video deserves this!

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Carly Rae Jepsen - This Kiss

June 10, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

While I wait for my exclusive Artist of the Month for this month, and it is such a big surprise! I am left with choosing other songs.

I decided on this one since the song got stuck in my head thanks to 90210's season five première here in the UK, where Carly Rae Jepsen performs this song. She is a Canadian artist most known for coming third in Canadian Idol. She has a big fan base all around the world. She has hit the UK a few times especially with the funny music video to number one single "Call Me Maybe". As well as hitting number five here in the UK with Owl City with the song "Good Time". This is one artist we will be hearing more and more of, I assure you.

"This Kiss" was written by Carly Rae Jepsen, Matthew Koma, Kelly Covell and Stefan Kendal Gordy (AKA Redfoo from LMFAO). The song was written all over text messaging, e-mails and phone calling. It's quite a unique way of writing a song, but I presume it gives the song writers the chance to help when they have time. It also shows that you don't need to be together to write together. The song didn't do well here in the UK, only managing number 166, but her more recent singles have done better, so why did this fail? Lack of radio promotion as well as no performances here in the UK. Once again here is another example why promotion is so important. If we don't hear the song how are we to know about it?

The music video has made me realised I really need a night out. It's been a total of a month and a half since I last went clubbing, and I'm missing it like crazy. But I also want to go to the place Carly Rae Jepsen is at in this music video, it looks totally fun.

Once again two aspects of this music video, a quirky narrative and a performance as well. Which always puts music videos up there in my eyes. The performance is energetic, involving, and you can just tell she's loving every minute of performing, and so is her fans.

The narrative is fun and different, with another key love interest, who isn't gay this time. However has she downgraded? What with going after someone up there in "Call Me Maybe" and finding out he was gay, it's no wonder she's having feelings for this guy. However they look like they make a good couple.

I like the different scenes how she's clubbing, how she becomes different people in the costume stages, as well as the ending where they jump into a pool, it's fun, it's different and it's crazy. A perfect moment as some would say.

A great song that didn't do as well as it should've done and an accompanying music video that fits well and I have no problems with, it may not be as funny as "Call Me Maybe" or lust-loving, but all her videos can't be the same. Guess it's going to be hard for her to have a better video than that, one that people will remember.

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New Release: Tegan And Sara - I Was A Fool

June 10, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

I spent ages looking for a new release that didn't include Mark Owen. The other options were Taylor Swift Featuring Ed Sheeran with "Everything Has Changed" but I don't think it is having an official single release in the UK, and others I looked for was Bridgit Mendler's "Hurricane" which also hasn't been released. I struggled, and finally came up with this one.

I always thought Tegan and Sara were a new duo, but I have just been surprised to find out that they released their first album in 1999. They are a Canadian duo consisting of twins Tegan Quin and Sara Quin. They have only recently hit the UK, and managed to become known for their song "Closer".

"I Was A Fool" was written by Tegan Quin and Sara Quin. It's a very emotional song, and could possibly be about past love interests. The song is one of those that gets stuck on my brain, and no matter how much I try to shake it, I end up singing it or at least tapping along to it in my head. It's currently climbing up the UK iTunes chart, but will it manage to hit the top 100 before Sunday? I haven't heard it much on the radio, and radio play is so important. Maybe they'll only be known for "Closer" here in the UK.

The music video matches the song, there is a performance side and a narrative side. The performance is simple with little to it. I feel the piano is a little on the distracting side, so much so that we don't quite see her emotional face. However I love the back drop and being able to see both the twins in the performance piece.

The narrative side is extremely emotional, clearly her and her partner has split, and she misses her partner. But she's so angry or upset that she won't take Sidney's phone calls. I like the idea of seeing the Quin girl in the narrative, it's almost as if she is a ghost or a guardian angel watching over her.

Overall a great music video, that has no flaws what so ever. The song is highly emotional and the music video reflects that perfectly. So here's my rating.

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Azerbaijan Entry: Farid Mammadov - Hold Me / Bana Dönsen

June 09, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Farid Mammadov almost brought the competition back to Azerbaijan. He came runner-up in the competition, and I predict Azerbaijan will be hosting the Eurovision Song Contest again in the near future due to it's great performances in the last few years. Farid Mammadov is a new artist and has released three singles so far. This one being the most popular. Azerbaijan holds a national selection so the public can choose who will represent the country, it is called Milli Seçim Turu. And this country has been doing well since they first entered.

"Hold Me" was written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, who has written many Eurovision songs. The song is so engaging and emotional, but then the Turkish version is heard, retitled as "Bana Dönsen", and it has this sad spin on things, and pulls at my heart strings. I feel like they are two separate songs, and I can't choose which one I prefer, naturally I would go for the English version, but this Turkish version has a special feel to it.

Azerbaijan came 2nd, and it was very close at the start. Farid Mammadov got 234 points. 8 from France, 12 from Lithuania, 8 from Moldova, 7 from Spain, 5 from Belgium, 10 from Belarus, 12 from Malta, another 12 from Russia, 4 from Germany, 2 from the Netherlands, 10 from Romania, 12 from Hungary, 7 from Iceland, 12 from Greece, 10 from Ukraine, 12 from Georgia, 2 from Ireland, 12 from Austria, 3 from Slovenia, 7 from Croatia, 12 from Montenegro, 8 from Cyprus, 5 from Serbia, 3 from Latvia, 2 from San Marino, 12 from Bulgaria, another 12 from Israel, 7 from Albania and 6 from Switzerland.

Although Farid Mammadov didn't sing the song in Turkish, there is no English music video, and henceforth, I will have to review this one.

The music video is lacking the staging we had at Eurovision, check the video below, that staging is definitely one of my favourites, and if I were reviewing it, it would definitely get five stars, as for this one...

It's a pure performance piece, but I feel there are too many different scenes that lead to nothing, why do I want to see him performing in all these places, it's not as if he is touring or anything. I just think there's too much variety in the places we see.

On the other hand, he has perfect performance skills, you know how he's feeling, you can tell he just wants to be held, and it's so full emotion, I can't take my eyes off his face, it tells me everything, I don't even care that it's not in English, and it certainly doesn't need to be.

Overall the song, in whatever version, is amazingly emotional, one of those songs you'll sing along to when you're upset, and it gets your sadness out of you. The accompanying video fails to entertain me with the backgrounds, but Farid Mammadov's stage presence is fill of hurt and sorrow that I just want him to be happy again.

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Ukraine Entry: Zlata Ognevich - Gravity

June 08, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Zlata Ognevich, real name Inna Bordiuh, has tried to represent the Ukraine in Eurovision a total of three times. This year she finally got selected. She came fifth in 2009, and 2nd in 2010, this year she won Evrobachennya, Ukraine's national selection. She obviously was eager to represent her country, and in competing so many times, made her known to the fans of Eurovision in the Ukraine. I just hope this isn't the end for her.

"Gravity" was written by Mikhail Nekrasov and Karen Kavaleryan. The song definitely stands out, and it's one of those songs I end up singing along to and I don't realise it. The thing is, I don't think it would've done as well, if that giant, Igor Vovkovinskiy, didn't carry her in during her performance. I was hoping to see the giant in the music video, but there's no sign of him

The Ukraine came 3rd out of 26 countries. 214 points were awarded to Zlata Ognevich. 10 from Lithuania, 12 from Moldova, 10 from Spain, 8 from Belgium, 10 from Estonia, 12 from Belarus, 10 from Malta, 1 from Russia, 12 from Armenia, 5 from the Netherlands, 4 from Romania, 5 from the UK, 7 from Hungary, 3 from Denmark, 3 from Iceland, 12 from Azerbaijan, 8 from Greece, 5 from Italy, 1 from Norway, 8 from Georgia, another 8 from Ireland, 1 from Austria, 12 from Croatia, 10 from Cyprus, another 10 from Serbia, 7 from Latvia, 10 from Bulgaria and another 10 from Israel.

The music video is dream like. It's the sort of place I'd love to live, a place without a care in a world and everything is beautiful around me, guess I'll have to leave that to my dreams rather than searching for a floating bit of land in Space, where I could safely live.

There a narrative and performance piece. The narrative hasn't got an actual story to it, just that she awakens from a metal flower and looks wide-eyed at all the things on this floating piece of land.

There are various performance pieces, which stands out totally. She has such a presence when she sings that you are captured. She is also really beautiful, and I'm not the only one who thinks that, many people have commented on her looks, it may also be another reason why people become captured in her singing.

Various scenes stand out, such as when she is singing in that red dress, and when she is floating in the bubble with diamonds surrounding her. It's such a powerful video, and she didn't even need to do much.

Overall a song I can listen to again and again, but I think there was better songs in the competition this year. The music video is powerful, with the occasional direct translation of the lyrics, what with the birds which are mentioned in the song. however, it's is theatrical and dramatic, and draws many people in.

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Norway Entry: Margaret Berger - I Feed You My Love

June 07, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Margaret Berger is another act from a reality singing competition. She entered Idol (Norway) in 2004 and came second. She since went on to release four singles as well as two albums. She competed in Melodi Grand Prix 2013, Norway's national selection, where she won to represent her country in the Eurovision Song Contest. She is currently working on her third album in London, England... Does this mean she will release the song over Europe at least? And will people remember her name enough to buy the album... Maybe she will do promotion for it, nowadays that is what you have to do to be successful. And she is definitely bringing her own style to the table. I didn't expect this song to perform so well in Eurovision let alone on the UK chart, I can't think of anyone like her at the moment, so she can definitely get the chart numbers she needs.

"I Feed You My Love" was written by Karin Park and MachoPsycho. The song has hit charts globally, and has done so well in most countries. The song is about having the courage and strength to do what you want. But I have a sneaky feeling it is meant to settle into your bones, enough to creep you out. It is quite scary, but it works well and the meaning behind the song does come through.

Norway came 4th out of 26 countries. Meaning Margaret Berger got 191 points. 6 points from Lithuania, 2 points from Moldova, 12 points from Finland, 5 points from Spain, 7 points from Belgium, 3 points from Estonia, another 3 points from Belarus, a further 3 points from Malta, 7 points from Russia, another 7 points from Germany, 3 points from Armenia, 6 points from the Netherlands, 8 points from Romania, 12 points from Sweden, 2 points from Hungary, 12 points from Denmark, 10 points from Iceland, 2 points from Azerbaijan, 4 points from Greece, 3 points from Ukraine, 8 points from Italy, 4 points from Georgia, 5 points from Slovenia, 3 points from Croatia, 4 points from Montenegro, another 4 points from Cyprus, 7 points from Serbia, 8 points from Latvia, 7 points from San Marino, 8 points from Macedonia, 1 point from Bulgaria, 6 points from Israel, 2 points from Albania and 7 points from Switzerland.

The music video is officially titled as a promo video, hence why it isn't an actual music video, and kind of reminds me of PeR's "Here We Go" in that they both aren't real videos for the songs. However, like "Here We Go" I'm going to imagine that this is a proper video for the song since there is no other video available.

It follows the song in the scariness. I feel that nothing is totally explained and the short featured clips are more of an exact explanation of the song. The lyrics say certain visual items such as hands or feeding and we find that replicated in the video, what with the lips, the hands and the balls, which could be sweets of all sorts.

I think the clips of Margaret Berger brings nothing to the table, apart from the fact that she looks a bit like Pixie Lott with her hair down. But it's not a performance side of the video and fails to include anything. It makes her more identifiable, so much so that you can tell it's her singing, but since she's not performing to the song and she's not even lip-syncing, then I don't see the inclusion.

The other clips doesn't bring much to the table either. I will definitely not be going out of my way to watch this video a second time. Don't get me wrong, I love the song and I would certainly give it five stars, however this is a music video review, like I've said in past reviews, and so it's just down to the video and nothing else. Hence why my rating is so low. If a proper video were made for this song, I wouldn't be surprised if it's better than this.

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Russia Entry: Dina Garipova - What If

June 06, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Dina Garipova was a surprising entry, because compared to the other songs in the competition, this one was slow and a ballad, and it's hard to define yourself when this happens, and to make me enjoy it as well. Anouk may have sung "Birds" during the competition and stood out, but I didn't like the song, this one I did, hence why she's in my Eurovision Special and Anouk, who represented The Netherlands, isn't. Dina Garipova won Russian's version of The Voice called Golos. And then was selected internally to represent Russia. I think this girl has a big future ahead of her. Keep an eye on the name Dina Garipova, as I reckon she'll be on everyone's lips soon enough.

"What If" was written by Gabriel Alares, Joakim Björnberg and Leonid Gutkin. The song is very emotional and believable, it's one of those songs that lifts spirits up and really encourages people to believe in others too. The song made a big impact in Eurovision, but also across Europe. It even charted in the UK at number 161. But made bigger impacts on charts in other countries.

Russia got to 5th out of 26 countries and Dina Garipova got 174 points. France gave 6 points, Lithuania gave 7 points, Moldova also gave 7 points, Finland gave 2 points, Spain gave 6 points, Belgium gave 4 points, Estonia gave 12 points, Belarus gave 8 points, Germany gave 2 points, Armenia gave 7 points, the Netherlands gave 4 points, the UK gave 10 points, Sweden gave 5 points, Denmark gave 7 points, Iceland gave 1 point, Ukraine gave 4 points, Georgia gave 6 points, Ireland gave 10, Slovenia also gave 10 points, Croatia gave 6 points, Montenegro gave 7 points, Cyprus gave 5 points, Serbia gave 8 points, Latvia gave 12 points, Macedonia gave 6 points, Bulgaria gave 5 points and Israel gave 7 points.

The music video, at first, seems like a usual, expected performance piece. I was waiting to see amazing stage presence which she showed on the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. And just when she starts, we flit over to the audience. Annoying at first, until I realised they were all part of the story and she manages to uplifts them with her song, and makes them believe, not only in themselves, but in others as well.

There isn't much to this video, but there doesn't need to be, It's inspirational and that is all it needs to be. It's missing one thing that could've made this a little bit better. We could have seen the background of some of the audience members, what has brought them to this point? The point where they are sad and need to be uplifted by this song. I want to know more about the characters in the audience. It reminds me a bit of Papa Roach's "Last Resort" however even in that music video there was short snappy background profiles, and should've been more.

Overall a song that is catchy and makes you warm and fuzzy inside. The accompanying music video does the exact same thing, only missing out a few crucial details that should've been included. That is the only reason why I dropped a star, it could've been more, and I feel like they missed out on such an opportunity.

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Greece Entry: Koza Mostra Featuring Agathon Iakovidis - Alcohol Is Free

June 05, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Another collaboration for my Eurovision Special. I forgot about Greece's entry when I reviewed Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani's song "Waterfall".

Koza Mostra is the band, they are a six piece consisting of Elias Kozas, Stelios Siomos, Christos Kalaitzopoulos, Dimitris Christonis, Vasilis Nalbantis and Alexis Archontis. They are known as mixing genres up, hence why their songs are popular because it draws in a multitude of different fans of certain types of music. They did very well in Eurovision. I wouldn't be surprised if they become more known in the future. The collaborator is Agathon Iakovidis. He seems like a famous old man such as Engelbert Humperdinck. He adds a different flavour to the track, along with a comedic performance in this quirky video.

"Alcohol Is Free" was written by Elias Kozas and Stathis Paxidis. The song is sung in Greek and I have no clue what they are singing, apart from the chorus, which is in English and is a repetition of the song title. It is very catchy, hence why they did so well in the competition this year. They are apparently singing about the Greek government-debt crisis as well as the feeling of suffering because of it. It has hit a few charts but it's biggest impact, clearly, was on the Eurovision Song Contest.

Greece came 6th out of 26 countries, and Koza Mostra Featuring Agathon Iakovidis got 152 points. Finland gave 1 point, Belgium gave 2 points, Belarus gave 6 points, Malta gave 4 points, Russia gave 10 points, Germany gave 6 points, Armenia gave 8 points, the Netherlands gave 1 point, Romania gave 7 points, the UK gave 8 points, Hungary gave 1 point, Denmark gave 6 points, Azerbaijan gave 4 points, Italy gave 7 points, Norway gave 5 points, Austria gave 7 points, Croatia gave 5 points, Montenegro gave 8 points, Cyprus gave 12 points, Latvia gave 1 point, San Marino gave 12 points, Macedonia gave 4 points, Bulgaria gave 7 points, Israel gave 2 points, Albania gave 10 points and Switzerland gave 8 points.

The music video is very entertaining, and in some ways could be connected to the song. The narrative definitely. But let's start off with the performance side.

Koza Mostra is known for wearing kilts in their performance pieces, in which it is sometimes known as a Fustanella. They have so much energy, and it goes perfectly with the song. They were a big hit on the stage at Eurovision, and I reckon they will fill any gig with a lot of fun. I kind of want to see them live, just to see if they can keep up that bouncy energy for hours.

The narrative, as I stated before, could link in with the song because of Agathon Iakovidis being multiple stall sellers, as well as being a chef and in various other places Koza Mostra walks about.  Koza Mostra ignores him and tries to get away from him, but he pops up everywhere, he's become their groupie and soon enough they kidnap him and makes him join them up on stage.

Overall a very catchy song, and a hilarious accompanying music video, that had me in giggles all the way through, but at the end I was like: what have I just watched? It's amazing, it's fun, it's weird in a good way  and I can't help but enjoy watching it. The video is as good as the song, meaning if you don't like the song you may not like the video, and vice versa. Hence my rating.

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Sweden Entry: Robin Stjernberg - You

June 04, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Robin Stjernberg is pretty well known in Sweden, not only was he one fourth of What's Up! along side Eric Saade (who also represented Sweden in Eurovision, his year was 2011), he also came second on Sweden's Idol in 2011. His album 'My Versions' went to number one in Sweden, yet this is his only single to chart to date. He won Sweden's Eurovision national selection which is called Melodifestivalen which is one of the countries biggest TV reality competitions. Sweden takes this competition extremely seriously! It's usually a big party! I don't know what to think of this guy. During the final of Eurovision I was rooting for him, along with all my favourites, but now that I've seen this music video I'm questioning who he is.

At the final we saw a dance singer, yet this music video song is stripped back and it's a piano version. I would go as far as saying that this isn't really a music video, more a recording of a piano version of his song, yet there is no other music video to find... Is this him? Someone singing while playing a piano? Or is he this dance musician we saw at the final? The song was written by Robin Stjernberg, Linnea Deb, Joy Deb and Joakim Harestad Haukaas. And it was written in tribute to his father who brought him up without the help of anyone else.

Sweden came 14th out of 26 countries, falling short of half way, yet compared to most of my favourites this year, that is a great placing. Robin Stjernberg got 62 points overall, 5 points from Moldova, 4 points from Finland, 1 point from Belgium, 1 point from Estonia, 3 points from Germany, 3 points from Netherlands, 8 points from Denmark, 4 points from Iceland, 12 points from Norway, 5 points from Ireland, 6 points from Slovenia, 1 point from Croatia, 1 point from Serbia, 4 points from Latvia and another 4 points from Bulgaria.

The music video has a different song to which Robin Stjernberg performed, and although the lyrics are the same, the music video is a piano version. This is one thing I am not happy about, I'm supposed to be reviewing the music video for the song performed on Eurovision, yet this is a different version and not what I was expecting.

As I previously stated, this doesn't seem like a proper music video, more of a piano version. And I'm sorry to say but I don't think he manages to draw us in, he is lacking stage presence. Performing with a piano is rarely entertaining to watch and will only interest a minority, however there are videos that still manage to draw you in, this isn't one of them.

Overall I preferred the Eurovision version of the song in which Robin Stjernberg performed, compared to this one. There is very little for me to comment on this video, as there isn't a lot going on. There are a few good choices on camera shots and editing, however occasionally the camera does do a weird shot, that makes it seem amateurish. The song lyrics contains the word piano, and so it kind of relates, through a very small link. This wasn't what I was expecting from Robin Stjernberg...

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Georgia Entry: Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani - Waterfall

June 03, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

A collaboration entry, the only one of my Eurovision Special 2013... Nodi Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani are well known on music talent TV contests. Nodi Tatishvili has performed in various countries, and therefore his prominence in those countries could possibly be the reason why they gained so many points. However the song is so good, and they performed it well, so it may just be the song. I did download the song from iTunes, but as much as I want to see these two singers record more songs together, and possibly become a duo, I just don't think that is going to happen. Their harmonies are just perfect, and would be great if they release another collaboration, but it doesn't seem to be on the cards.

"Waterfall" was written by Thomas G:son (quite the Eurovision writer isn't he? He wrote Loreen's winning song "Euphoria" as well as Pastora Soler's "Quédate Conmigo" from the same year) and Erik Bernholm. The song is catchy, however I think the song is better when it's performed, like it was on the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, compared to the studio version. The song reminds me of a Disney song, something a princess will sing while thinking of her true love. Disney should so get this song in one of their films!

Georgia came 15th out of 26 countries, which is almost halfway. Nodi Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani got 50 points. Lithuania gave 8 points, Moldova gave 3 points, Russia gave 5 points, Armenia gave 10 points, Azerbaijan also gave 10 points, Greece gave 5 points, Ukraine gave 7 points and Montenegro gave 2 points. They did better in the final than what they did in the Semi-Final.

The music video is lacking a WATERFALL! I know I complain about literal meaning, but if you're going to title a song you should at least incorporate that thing in the music video. But this is not the only thing missing...

They sing about 'Sailing on a sea of dreams' and 'flying', yet there is no sea, no flying.

On the other hand this is a pure performance piece, so leaving out any possible setting ideas for a narrative (or for Disney, come on Disney the song just sends out a potential film!) I am focusing on their powerful stage presence, or should I say mountainous presence?

And they have a lot of that, they manage to convey it, and if I were to see them live at a concert, festival or gig, I reckon I will get chills and goosebumps, I'm sure I got them during the final of this year's contest. They convey so much emotion in this video, that we don't need any of the imagery they sing about. I can't help but think wow after watching the video. But it would have been a bigger wow with a waterfall.

The song is great to listen to, and I can't suggest it enough to Disney. This needs to be on one of their movie soundtracks, at least! The accompanying music video is missing things we can dream of, all the stuff they mention in the song fails to show up in the video, and although the performance video is full of emotion, and a hedge maze! It fails to actually come up with a waterfall. I was expecting the mountain to cave in with them on top and they to fall into a waterfall together. The video lacks what we needed from this video, yet manages to capture us with the amazing song and the beautiful setting.

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Belarus Entry: Alyona Lanskaya - Solayoh

June 03, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Alyona Lanskaya almost represented Belarus in 2012, but it was later found out that the producers of the national selection had rigged the votes, and so she withdrew from that year, and Belarus entered with another act. This time around, the national selection in Belarus called Eurofest was done fairly, and once again Alyona Lanskaya won, maybe it was all meant to be this way. However she won by singing a song called "Rhythm Of Love", but it was changed to this song... Would the previous song had done better? Guess we'll never know. I hope she releases more songs in the future, as this is my kind of music.

"Solayoh" was written by Marc Paelinck and Martin King. It's a dance song and it's very catchy. When I was watching it during the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, my parents thought she was singing it in a different language, and then towards the end, had flipped it into English. Let's make it clear, it's all in English! I do like the song lots, and I have downloaded the song and it's remixes from iTunes, but I've heard it quite a few times now, and it becomes less catchy the more I hear it.

Belarus came 16th out of 26 countries, which is not too shabby. Alyona Lanskaya got 48 points in the Final of Eurovision 2013. She got 1 point from Lithuania, 4 points from Moldova, 2 points from Malta, 5 points from Armenia, 7 points from Azerbaijan, 1 point from Greece, 12 points from Ukraine, 5 points from Georgia, 3 points from Montenegro, 5 points from Macedonia and 3 points from Israel.

The accompanying music video fails to draw me in. It looks promising at the start when Alyona Lanskaya comes in, but then it just loses me with the dance moves, it's too static. Not only that, but she looks a lot older in this video that she did at the final of this year's contest. She's only 27, yet my guess from this video would have been mid-30s. Not a good thing at all.

This video has it all, static dancing (also performed on stage at the final), break dancing, a bar man, a beach and water behind... And when we think we've seen it all, there is Alexander Rybak (winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009). But where is my narrative, where is the wow factor?

Overall a song that is catchy when you first hear it, yet becomes less the more times you listen to it. The music video is too literal to the lyrics for my liking, and although looked promising from the start, fails to hold the people watching and it doesn't do much justice to the song.

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Germany Entry: Cascada - Glorious

June 02, 2013 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

So I've been away on holiday for a week, but I'm back now, and it's time for Germany's entry. I honestly picked this entry as the winner, so was surprised it didn't do that well. However I'm a big Cascada fan, so how can I not root for them?

Cascada, the internationally great dance band with chartings all over Europe and America, entered the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, astonishing people, such as myself, how was anyone going to beat this well known group? They consist of three people, Natalie Horler, Manian (real name Manuel Reuter) and Yanou (real name Yann Peifer). They have recently been dropping charting positions here in the UK, after a number one hit with "Evacuate The Dancefloor" the singles that followed didn't even make the UK Top 40, and some never even charted. I think the main thing is promotion. I remember seeing Natalie Horler singing "Evacuate The Dancefloor" on a few TV shows, and it also got a lot of radio play, they need to present their songs and promote them on TV. Many people are unaware of their new songs (apart from this one because it was on Eurovision... That goes towards promotion because we saw it on TV!)

"Glorious" was written by Yann Peifer, Manuel Reuter, Andres Ballinas and Tony Cornelissen. The song entered the UK charts at 129, after the Eurovision Song Contest, yet why did many people download the song and not vote for them? And don't you dare say it's fixed because "the UK will never vote for Germany", I have heard that reason way too much lately, and it's totally not true, we've given points to Germany a number of times in the last 10 years. Maybe it's because we all thought it was too similar to Loreen's "Euphoria". It also had to be investigated as a lot of people thought it was too alike. However it got cleared of plagiarism. The song is definitely Cascada and I even believe it is showing their new direction, hopefully it will attract more fans, they need another number one hit!

Germany came 21st out of 26 countries in Eurovision 2013. Cascada got a total of 18 points. Spain gave 3 points, Austria gave 6 points, Israel gave 5 points, Albania gave 3 points and Switzerland gave 1 point. I just hope it was enough to push this dance band back into the spotlight.

The music video is typical Cascada. Very much a performance piece, and although it is lacking a narrative storyline, the glorious wonders of this glorious song proves you don't need one.

As per usual Natalie Horler is the only member of the dance band that features in this video (although we have known of Manuel Reuter and Yann Peifer making appearances such as their cover version of "Last Christmas"). Her gorgeous looks is all she needs to capture you and makes you want to see her live, yet she failed to capture the Eurovision audience this year, maybe she didn't perform the song that well.

The ballet is something new, something glorious as some may say. And maybe it is that which brings a new spin of this on this song. It shows that it's not just a upbeat dancing that will go with dance music, and this is so peaceful, and glorious to watch I understand why they put it in.

Overall a song that should have done better on the UK chart as well as should have done better in this year's contest. It's music video has no narrative, but is pure performance. I want to see this dance group live, yet the video is pretty much similar to their other videos... Minus the narrative, plus the ballet. I can't wait for their future releases, I would really like their single "The Rhythm Of The Night" to get released, although that's doubtful, but I'm hoping their future unplugged album (which is on the cards) gets a UK release.

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