I’ve just heard (and watched) all 24 songs up for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2011 selection; you can see them all below. It’s good to see decent studio video clips for each song for a change. It would seems that things are indeed getting better now that PBS has taken over the production of Malta’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Since I’m not a judge on the official panel this year (as I was last year) I see no reason not to publicly share my thoughts on each of the songs after this first listen. These are just first reactions and my opinion of some songs may change in the coming weeks; still, keep in mind that many of the people voting at the Eurovision Song Contest itself in May will only have heard those songs once.
Please take these comments with a pinch of salt and if you disagree with me just forget what I think. You can also leave your own comments below, of course.
01. Amber – Catch 22 (Ray Agius, Godwin Sant)
Very nice. Could be the winner!
02. Jessica Muscat – Down Down Down (Philip Vella, Jessica Muscat)
Good laid back club vibe…but about 5 years too late.
03. Wayne Micallef – Everybody Sing (Wayne Micallef, Wayne Micallef)
Fresh and catchy pop. Wayne is a force to be reckoned with.
04. Richard Edwards – Finally (Jan Van Dijck, Richard Micallef)
A decent song by a solid performer, but perhaps a little to formulaic.
05. Cherise Grixti – Heart of Glass (Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg)
This singer deserves a better song!
06. Marilena Gauci – He’s a Demon (Michael Henry, Anthony Grech)
He may be a lot of things…but certainly not a demon.
07. Eleanor Cassar – Hypnotized (Paul Giordimania , Fleur Balzan)
Classy but probably slightly out of step with the new generation.
08. Raquela – If I Could Do It All Again (Marc Paelnick, Mathias Strasser)
Classy but probably slightly out of step with the older generation.
09. Domenique – I’ll Follow the Sunshine (Ralph Siegel, Dr. Bernd Meinunger)
Lena is not a better performer than Domenique but she has a far superior team behind her.
10. Jamie Tonna – Lost Without You (Marco Debono, Aidan O’Connor)
Not sure what to make of this one, but it didn’t grab me on a first listen.
11. Kelly Schembri – Love Me Like Your Money (Sven Lundhol, Gerard James Borg)
This has all the ingredients to be a great pop hit.
12. Sophie – Love to Love You (Elton Zarb, Sophie Debattista)
Poppy, catchy, and all that…fluffy but good, just like whipped cream.
13. Baklava – Moon Dance (Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg)
Best song from Borg and Vella since Vertigo. Actually quite good.
14. Claudia Faniello – Movie in my Mind (Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg)
It’s great to see Claudia enjoying herself instead of trying to win. Bring on the wind machine!
15. Fabrizio Faniello – No Surrender (Johan Stentorp , Johan Bederholm)
How is this one better than I Do?
16. Ally – Numb (Ally, Ally)
A heart-felt song…but I can’t see it touching the audience or judges.
17. Glen Vella – One Life (Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan)
Not half as good as last year’s attempt by Glen and his team.
18. Kurt Calleja – Over and Over (Johan J’amtberg, Kurt Calleja)
Wow! This is a really good rock ballad. How did this make it through the preliminary selections?
19. Klinsmann Coleiro / Benjamin Darmanin – This Love (Klinsmann Coleiro, Jonathan Spiteri)
Could it be that Klinsmann is finally growing up? Altogether not a bad song at all.
20. J.Anvil – Topsy Turvy (Jonas Gladnikoff / Niall Mooney / Andrew Zahra, Deo Grech / Natasha Turner)
J.Anvil doing what he does best. With the right stage act this song could make a big impact.
21. Amber – Touch Wood (Ray Agius, Alfred Sant)
Good thing Amber has a better song than this one for this contest.
22. Anna Azzopardi – Unfaithful (Renato Briffa, Keith Zammit)
Good singer for unintentionally retro Euro-Pop toe tapper.
23. Petra Zammit – Unintentional (Elton Zarb, Rita Pace)
I love this singer. One day soon everyone in Malta will know her name, if they don’t already.
24. Rosman Pace – You’ll Never Know (Steven D. Cook, Jordan Milnes)
Twenty four pop songs is a little too much to choose from at this stage.
I’ll hold off until the Friday 11 February semi-final to pick my 16 for the final and a possible top 3, so please check back on this blog, via my Facebook page, or through EurovisionMalta.com for an update ahead of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2011 final. I’m also planning to release a special issue of my Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast just before that week, with more general comments about the whole shindig.
