2008 USC Summer Edition review

Summer Edition is released and here is the review of the 34 songs. Congratualation to UBU for a nice organisation for both download links and song availability on webpage this time. There are some returns to USC this edition; Malta is back as well as Latvia that has won USC before with Ella in winter 2007. Poland has been in all USC editions so far but in summer 2008 Poland is present with their absence. Also this is the edition when the ballad loving USC stopped and turned into a techno eurodance and crusching guitar contest.

1. Luxembourg - Julien Dore - Les Limites
USC can do without this type of songs. It can make people nervous and it should be released with a warning message. 1 star.

2. Iceland - Birgitta Haukdal - An pin
Birgitta is back and now she take the winning song of USC 1990 “Wind of change” by Scorpions and turn it into a fragile emotional ballad in Icelandic which we longed for for a very long time. Birgittas voice is magnificent and the flute in the original has been replaced by the melancholic cello. The result is perfect. Bravo Iceland. Everything but a top 5 result would put voters in shame. Bravo Iceland, I wouldn’t mind going to Reykjavik in autumn but it won’t happen of course. 5 stars

3. Italy - Elisa - Stay

Elisa has also very professional voice but it is ordinary that comes in so many songs these days. It must be the 97th time I hear this type of song and they never took me anywhere but I admit that it is a good production and singing is great too. 3 stars.

4. Denmark - Alphabeat- Fascination

Denmark go for retro-retro style. A new 80ies retro song in that typically 80ies goes retro 60ies retro that was popular 20 years ago. Too repetitive to get high ratings and again crusching guitars. AWould need Kim Wilde’s voice to get higher in ratings. 2 stars.

5. Sweden - Charlotte Perrelli - Bullet

So, Swedes also go for crusching guitars but in a pop song. And I must say they know how to make it great, the plastic over produced product made in Sweden. I fear Sweden could face a very low result but could also see another top 3 result. This song has already won another online contest. Charlotte is fantastic live and this song rocks. 5 stars.

6 Finland - Berit - Keurusselka

Welcome to Finland. Bingo start at 20:00 and after we dance all night long. It is a very romantic and well sung old fashioned tune that should have stayed where it belong, on the cruising boat for old dames and gentlemen. But it is one of my personal favourites and hope it will do better than I fear. 2 stars for the good melody.

7 Russia - Lolita - Orientansia sever
Now, in USC Russia has been very underrated. If they get the same unfavoured treatement this time I will be a bit angry. This is material for top 3, and I get winning wibes. A pure fantastic pop song with an aggressively powerful and emotional singer. This is the hit of Summer 2008, you just wait and see. I expect it to fight for top 5 but to see Russia take her 2nd USC victory would make my heart happy. Great entry Russia. 5 stars.

8 France - Louisy Joseph - Assis par terre
Please not again France. A totally un interesting and boring entry. Sung ok but I want Segara back, but what can France do when voters dismiss Segara? Next please. 1 star.

9. Bulgaria - Preslava - Posleden Adres

Experimental mix of pop, etno and electro and techno with a good result. All dancefloors in clubs in Turkey will play this a lot. Expect 12p from Turkey. Verses is a bit weak and I expect it to be too Arabic for most voters but this deserve a top 10 result. 4 stars.

10 Switzerland - Paolo Meneguzzi - Musica
Masterpieces come not seldom in USC and here is another. This is Mr meneguzzis best song. Watch out for this one. A passionate man with good looks that unfortunately sing a bit bad live but expect a lot of votes from USC huryor around Europe. If I am in a party mood this is a bit boring but it can not be anything less than 5 stars for a masterpiece. And it has crossed my mind to consider a 6th star this time for Switzerland but 5 is enough. Well done La Suisse.

11 Belgium - Marka and Laurence Bibot - Tu obeiras
Another great song. It seams that USC summer going to be great. And consider the boring French entries from Luxembourg and France, Belgium deserve a top 10 result for sure but gets a bit repetitive after 3 minutes. 4 stars

12 Lithuania - Aiste Pilvelyte - Leisk Sau
Aiste comes with a clubbing pop tune. This could very well be the best entry ever for Lithuania. Should do ok but the competition from other club songs is immenxe in the summer of 2008. 3 stars.

13 Germany - Marquess - Vayamos companeros
Germany goes Spanish. I am a bit surprised that it has not been disqualified. I suspect mnanagement has been more tolerable after the 1976 anti-german fiasco. Viva Espana Vivo Allemagna. A great, great pop song in Spanish and after the bad results in USC for Germany it deserves a top 10 position. Basta! 4 stars.

14 Turkey - Hande Yaner - Hipnoz
And again we go electro pop techno and people could put this way too low. This is also a good club song but is there enough of them already? I think so. And this one is not one of the better ones. Low results for Turkey. 1 star.

15 Estonia - Mari-Leen - Printsess
These crusching guitar songs I can tolerate but not more but Mari-Leen sings great and it is a great song she represent Estonia with this time. Too rocky for my taste but it is a sure 3 star song anyhow..

16 Former Yougoslav Republic of Macedonia - Sibel Redzepova - That Is Where i ll Go

Finally a ballad that we are used to get a lot in USC. After Iceland this one takes your breath away. Sibel is a queen of power ballads and the obvious borrowing from Sweden was genious by the FYROM management. In Autumn 2006 Sweden borrowed Rosa and won, Macedonia borrow too and will do very very good. I can not see this be any lower than 2nd place. Also Sibel managed to be runner up in melosongfestivalen and lost to Charlotte with only 1p so she is very popular within USC community. Bravo. Winning feeling. 5 stars.

17. Spain - Bea Bronchal - Sin ti

Oh my personal favourite. I simply adore these latino etno pop songs and when sung in Spanish I get wild. This should be winning. Bea has also sung my 2nd fav Spanish song but I fear USC juryor do not share my taste in this kind of explosive music. And competition is too hard for a victory but top 5 should be possible. Possibly the best song Spain sent to USC. 5 stars.

18. Austria - Manuel Ortega - End Of Time
Eh. Another Spanish artist. It is a summer trend but now they took an old westlife song and turned it into a sleeping pill. So 90ies and so boring. 2 stars.

19 U.K. - Duffy - Mercy
Oh la la. UK really can take the bottom crap in ESC but in USC UK must be considered very very hot. This is a winner candidate. An remodernised 60ies soul song sung by the best singer in this edition. The groovy song deserve nothing but the trophy this time. Who can not start to dance to this fabulously masterpiece of true music. Lyrics and singing style will put USC in shade if you don’t give UK a top 3 result!!! 5 stars AGAIN! This is a great edition indeed.

20. Bosnia and Herzegovina - Dino Merlin - Da sutis
This kind of etno ballad has been rated too low in USC and never did it win either. I think Bosnia deserves a top position too but I doubt they can manage. Dino sings great. 4 stars.

21. Portugal - Mariza - Ha uma musica do povoNo. I find this Portuguese style so boring. I understand nothing. Where is melody, where is the joy and the rhythm. Ok it is emotions 100% but I feel like falling asleep at a funeral. Next please. 2 stars (one extra for some beauty in melody)

22.Cyprus - Anna Vissi - Agapi Ypervoliki
After a 3rd and a 4th place in USC Anna is back. One of the queens of USC now I suppose she need to come back another time to claim a victory but this is one of the better techno club songs in summer edition. And there is “Sagapo” in it so it could do top 7 or so. She is a great singer and song is quite dance friendly so 3 stars for Cyprus.

23.Greece - Sakis Rouvas - Kai Se Thelo
The king of USC is back after 2 years. In Summer 2006 Sakis was runner up with a ballad, now he do the club song as so many others so can Greece be top 3 again? That is no doubt the case. A victory? Absolutelly when it comes to Greece in USC. Anything else that at least 6 12p is a surprise. So we might very well stay in Hellas for Autumn. But a victory would be wrong. 4 stars.

24.Malta - Chasing Pandora – Memories
This is a lovelly song. This is a such badly recorded mp3 version. The bad version could put Malta at the bottom but this is a very good country song that deserves top placing as well. 4 stars. For you all to be ably to hear better version, see video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cga54ltSm-c

25.Ireland - Damien Leith - Shine like the sun
A song with crushing guitars is not my cup of tea but this is a good song and sung well too. Should end up in the middle and deserves so too. 3 stars.

26.Romania - Arsenium – Rumadai
Numa numa lei. No please this is a noicy crap thing with awful lyrics that makes you feel ill. Who did it a 10 year old lunatic. Worst club song ever in USC. NO STARS.

27.Andorra - Monica Naranjo – Europa
What e mess. Another disaster. At least lady can scream some notes in this repetitive thing. I like the drums here but the whole piece is a screaming dog. 1 star.

28.Netherlands - Tatjana - Ik laat je gaan
Medium song at first listening but it is a grower. Medium was the word, we heard it before and has little personality as a song but the lady know how to sing and I love dutch and melody is not that bad after all. 4 stars.

29.Latvia - Alise Ketnere – Rain
Psychedelic pop in modern disguise is nice. The most original and special song. A love the violin in it and the mystic enya style makes this into one of my favs but I doubt that it will do good in voting. Still it deserves 4 stars.

30.Czech Republic - Sarka Vankova – Stir
Nice fragile voice but this is not good. Very predictable and could put even the most hyperactive person to sleep. 1 star.

31.Norway - Elisabeth Carew – Destructive
Very much typical in the crushing guitar trend and I can hardly stand to listen to it. But it is a good song and singer do a good job. 3 stars.

32.San Marino - Jovanotti - A Te
Talking italian in a song is maybe considered an art in Italy and San-Marino. A babbling of some important thing he want to say of course but not for a song contest. In the end it gets more singing but by then it is too late. 2 stars for the passion in the end.

33.Slovenia - Neisha - Vtrilijak (Merry-go-round)
With Luxembourg a song I can only laugh at.A total mess in lyrics, singing and arrangements. Next. NO STARS.

34.Hungary - Desperado – Tancolj
After so many bad songs here in the lower half it is good to get a good song from Hungary that usually have sent really boring songs. Here we have very greek and Spanish rythmics and a pop tune that should be higher than average this time. For once I also like trumpets which I usually detest. I hope for top 7 but top 10 could be possible but I doubt that too. 4 stars.

So this time it is Russia, FYROM, United Kingdom and as usual Greece that will fight for the victory even though Greece do NOT deserve it this time. Sweden and Spain could also be up in the top. Considering there is really only 2 ballads that could get massive votes from ballad lovers FYROM could see her to take a victory but I prefer to see Russia, UK and especially SPAIN to take their first edition victory. There is only 2 countries that I both believe has a pretty good chance winning and that I also think deserve it very much and that is RUSSIA and UK so there is wher e I put most of my money. Overall I am a bit amazed over the very high quality of USC songs. Congratualations. There are many crap ones as well but this contest is still king when it comes to quality of the music. Good luck to every one.