Why Start A Fire

 More surprising than Eurovision being in just one month is that this ranking is already half over!

25. San Marino

Valentina Monetta - “Maybe”

Reaction: This song is like listening to the first (and lesser) half of last year's song twice. It's cheesy, sentimental, and theatrical and it has its place in an Eurovision semifinal.

Best Part: “Maybe you and I/Are tear drops from the sky /That fill the sea eternally”

Rating: 3/5

24. Russia

Tolmachevy Sisters - “Shine”

Reaction: This song's biggest problem is that it sounds like an unfinished demo, and maybe the singers are too sweet-sounding for the dramatic music. The lyrics, too, are a little too sweet for the dramatic music. Despite that disconnect, it's enjoyable.

Best Part: “Sending out a message out above/Telling all the world to show some love” almost as ironic as last years

Rating: 3/5

23. Hungary

András Kállay-Saunders - “Running”

Reaction: This is both fresh and modern – it's pop with a layer of dubstep. It's also got a serious, important message in the lyrics that is handled with more tact and creativity than most serious songs in English in this contest. Kállay-Saunders isn't the only New Yorker who's entered Eurovision in the past decade, but his song is the only one that actually looks and sounds like a native English speaker wrote it.

Best Part: “Mama let the devil in her house”

Rating: 3/5

22. Ukraine

Mariya Yaremchuk - “Tick-Tock”

Reaction: Often the Ukrainian entry to Eurovision goes through a big revision between national and international finals, one that improves it greatly. Some miracles were definitely performed on this one. The lyrics were almost entirely changed. It's a bouncy contemporary pop song that a girl group might perform.

Best Part: “My heart is like a clock, I'm steady like a rock”

Rating: 3/5

21. Azerbaijan

Dilara Kazimova - “Start A Fire”

Reaction: This is a lot more subdued and jazzy than their previous entries would have you expect (it's closest to “When the music dies”) Though it's quiet, it's captivating. The lyrics are really poignant too, brief character studies.

Best Part: “Digging out the burning bullets in his chest”

Rating: 3/5