United Kingdom – Embers by James Newman
Oh dear, the UK is heading for the bottom of the pile again. The whole thing just does not make any sense…clearly, this is meant to be a slow love ballad that some music exec turned into a thumping dance mix. Poor James can’t conjure up a decent dance step and is out of breath just keeping up the tempo. Let’s hope the brass section can carry this through…
Review by Mariella Herberstein
Denmark – Øve Os På Hinanden by Fyr Og Flamme
Oh, hello…the 80s are back!!! Fyr & Flamme are Denmark’s answer to Wham, just not as good. The two lads have found the left-over wardrobe from Miami Vice and deliver a bit of 3-minute fun with an astonishing lack of irony. I like it!
Review by Mariella Herberstein
The Netherlands – Birth Of A New Age by Jeangu Macrooy
Elegant, powerful, joyful and relevant – Jeangu sings in English and Sranan Tongo about the colonial history of the Netherlands with resilience and could easily carry away a back-to-back win for the Netherlands. Not really a fate I wish upon the country – Ireland won back to back in the 90s after which it fell into a deep misery from which it is only now slowly emerging.
Review by Mariella Herberstein