Saturday 6 February 2010

Melodifestivalen 2010: Semi Final 1 Örnsköldsvik Review



Wow it really is here! Last night Melodifestivalen was live from the Fjällräven Center Örnsköldsvik, showing all over the globe via the net!
The stage is magnificent, the presenters are strong especially Måns, the opening act was spectacular and the voting result was agreeable overall!
So if you missed the show and want a low-down of the night click on, If you are still to watch it cover your eyes!

I took my seat at my computer, dominoes pizza in one hand and Kopparberg pear cider in the other! Maybe next week I'll have meatballs!
I logged on to SVTPlay and sat back as the hallåa introduced Melodifestivalen 2010!
Buzzing with excitement, the last thing I was expecting was the spectacular Öppningsnumret that was to come!

Tre metallic goddesses strut onto the stage to perform a show stopping number! Two Melodi Legends, Charlotte Perrelli & Nanne Grönwall, and two time contestant Sonja Aldén make up this perfectly height stacked trio. It's only 5 minutes in and already I have witnessed the Melodi favourites; wind machine, smoke machine, smoke cannons, finger pointing, and the mother of all key changes! I already love this song, but this key change must be kept in it forever now!

With the Schlager perfection still embedded in my memory, the competition begins!

Ola Svensson - Unstoppable:
The song itself is interesting. The piano rhythm is hot and the chorus is cathy. It really fits in with Ola's recent vibe, however it lack his usual summer song. the lyrics are quite weak, and Natalie's return I'm not sure would be welcomed by her! He seams to have gone off her a bit since 2007, and she seams to have gone mad. His outfit is nothing special, and the staging was boring. I was waiting for dancers to come on, even a single 'Natalie' dancer to make the stage look less empty. Instead Ola did the same performance he will probably make at shopping centres up and down Sweden.
6/10

Jenny Silver - A Place To Stay:

Looking at the Melodi line-up for this heat, I had no opinion of this song. From Jenny's previous work I assumed it would be a musical style ballad, or something Snälla, Snälla sounding. Instead it started like Madonna's Vogue, then MJ's Billie Jean, finally becoming a chill out dance number from outer space. Her 'dance' is light and fits the song, the sniffing of her fingers at the start though is a bit strange. Her outfit is Lady GaGa but in s Cheryl Cole - 3 Words style. If Jenny had dancers doing something like Cheryl's video around her, it would have been a far more interesting performance. Overall I do love the song, and it will be an MP3 fav of mine, however it isn't a visual song, and would blend too far in at Eurovision.
6/10

Linda Pritchard - You're Making Me Hot-Hot-Hot:

Finally a song that's mixed song, singer and stage perfectly for Eurovision.
Something very Ani Lorak - Shady Lady about this, but that is never a bad thing!
The song itself is very similar to Ricki-Lee - Can't Touch This. Again that's not a bad thing! It has a touch of the Beverly Hills Cop Theme. Finally near the end we get a hint of Ruslana - Wild Dances. This girl has done her homework! Overall it is a classic Melodi track, with wind machines, long note after keychange, and plenty of strutting. It was my favourite of the night and was also the best visual performance of the show.
7/10


Pain of Salvation - Road Salt:
The song is an John Lennon Imagine wannabe song, with a Foo Fighters style singer. He has an amaizng voice, but the song is just a bit dragging and unoriginal for me. It just doesn't start before it's over, just builds to nowhere. It is not a bad song, just nothing special.
3/10

Anders Ekborg - The Saviour:

The performance & song is like a hotel cabaret version of Phantom of the Opera meets Les Miserables staged on scaffolding. The use of Les Mis Lovely Lady dancers makes Anders appear slightly sleazy. He is a bit like a drunk man who has stumbled into Les Miserables. All very bizarre. His nasal voice also grates on me.
4/10

Jessica Andersson - I Did It For Love:
An other musical style number. I was more impressed than I thought I would be. Jessica is far stronger when Schlagertastic. Her voice doesn't seam to have enough strength at some points to hold this ballad alone. It is no Empty Room! Her dress made her look far bigger than she is, and her hair was boring compared to her usual glamorama styles. Maybe it will grow on me, but for now it just doesn't reach its full potential in my eyes.
5/10

Frispråkarn - Singel:

When I saw the staging and spinning vinyl I was expecting good things to come. However instead it was a very Eurovision style song, but sounded more Markoolio than Kanye West. It sounds like Lemon Ice's version of Girl You Know It's True. The beat was hot and the chorus catchy, but the female singers were all painfully screechy. I wonder who they slept with to get that job!
4/10

Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking:
I did not know what to expect from Salem. I knew it would be a credible piece of piano based pop. However I though there would be a more synth song to it. Instantly I fell for the song. Its catchy and soulful, floating along melody and sweet lyrics. The cute way his mouth moves when he sings and his look reminds me of Joakim och Joel a lot. The song would do well in the UK market I think. It would sink at Eurovision, but is pleasant enough to possibly win Melodifestivalen. It's a track I will play a lot, and it will grow more and more on me i'm sure. Performance wise the piano simplicity worked as he is an interesting musician to watch, and tells the story with his face.
8/10

So who made it through......
To Globen: Salem och Ola
To Andra Chansen: Jessica och Pain in the Ass, oops I mean Pain of Salvation.

MIA Verdict: 3 of my fav 4 got through. I was gutted for Linda, but I'm sure this is not the last of her! She will remain with the Melodi legends who fell at the first hurdle such as Velvet - The Queen. Jenny would have not made it past Andra Chansen so it's ok she left at this stage, but her song should not be forgotten!
Ola needs to up his game performance wise, Salem maybe needs some aerial silk performers behind him to make it more of a performance worth of Eurovision.
And Pain of Salvation will stay the same, and till not impress me!

It was hilarious when Salem was pushed on stag during Ola's final performance. Looked very awkward, no reason for him to be there!

Good first week, some strong, some weak. Nothing amazing though. Best is still to come? I hope so!

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