It's My List!

It's May already! Time for the bottom half of my top 10. I could say "I would be happy if any of these songs won the contest," but that's not really true. Some of these aren't quite "right" for a winner, but they're the songs I enjoy listening to the most, so here they are.

10. Iceland
Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson - “Ég Á Líf”
Reaction: This sounds a lot like (Leonard Cohen's) “Hallelujah” meets “I Am Cow.” That's not a bad thing! Those are good songs, and this sounds good too, without being entirely too derivative of those others.
Best Part: last chorus
Rating: 4/5

9. Romania
Cezar - “It's my life”
Reaction: I don't care what anyone else says, this is in my top 10. The perceived issue with it is the disconnect between the singer, his voice, and the song – if a woman was singing it surely more people would like it, even if the voice was the same (he sounds fine). It's a cousin to 2009's "La voix" with a little 2013 touch (that dubstep break again, which is very silly here but in a fun way). Super catchy and campy.
Best Part: The switch to the countertenor high part (most people would call this the worst part)
Rating: 4/5

8. Russia
Dina Garipova - “What If”
Reaction: It feels so calculated. from another country it would be the product of a goofy average lyricist fumbling around with English and their idea of an Eurovision song, but from a country that really puts effort into the quality of their entries in the past decade, it seems like a phony appeal to vaccuum up votes from people who love a saccharine peace message. This isn't “Peace Will Come” or even this year's “Waterfall.” The melody is also the most attractive Swedish-penned tv-winner pop ballad.
Best Part: “Together we can make a better place/on this little light in outer space”
Rating: 4/5

7. San Marino
Valentina Monetta - “Crisalide (Vola)”
Reaction: This starts off as a pretty, above average ballad, and is helped by the Italian language. Two-thirds of the way through the song, the song gains intensity and becomes a power ballad. The strings, electric guitars, and wailing make this part of the song seem like it was just made to be sung in a high wind (possibly it was). The ending is one of the best in the contest.
Best Part: Ending/last 20 seconds
Rating: 4/5

6. Moldova
Aliona Moon - “O mie”
Reaction: This ballad is wonderfully dramatic. The chorus is a little similar to “Lautar” from last year but with more impressive held notes. The bridge is especially dramatic and fantastic. The English version from the national final also has some surprisingly creative English as a foreign language lyrics.
Best Part: Bridge
Rating: 4/5

Next week, my top 5! Plus predictions and reactions to the contest itself.