Better Ballads

It's time to get to ranking some of my favorite songs in this year's Eurovision. Here are songs 11-15.

15. Azerbaijan
Sabina Babayeva - “When the music dies”
Reaction: Like last year’s song, there’s not much Azeri about this western style ballad, but that seemed to work well for them. There’s something very Christina Aguileira about this song, maybe that it sounds similar to some of her songs as well as the belting. It does add an Azeri touch with the background singer at around 2 minutes in.
Best Part: Last chorus
Rating: 4/5

14. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Maya Sar - “Korake ti znam”
Reaction: A sweet, delicate ballad. It’s kind of slow to get warmed up, but beautiful when it hits it.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 4/5

13. Italy
Nina Zilli - “L'Amore È Femmina (Out Of Love)"
Reaction: Building on their successful return last year, Italy has another jazz-influenced song this year. This one is much sexier with great Italian/English lyrics.
Best Part: "You're an independent grown man after all"
Rating: 4/5

12. United Kingdom
Engelbert Humperdinck - “Love Will Set You Free”
Reaction: This is a pretty traditional ballad. It has a simple, memorable melody with an minimalist instrumental. However, it’s not at all boring and moves at a fairly quick pace.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 4/5

11. Iceland
Greta Salome & Jonsi - “Never forget”
Reaction: A very Nordic folk-inspired power ballad. It has a strong mix of traditional strings and electric guitars. The male and female voices work very well together.
Best Part: Final chorus/key change
Rating: 4/5