[LMBTO] Two Former 'Idols' at Eurovision - Portugal and Australia...

Now that is one happy lady, part of a pair who became their nation's representative at their own Eurovision.  It has recently been a bit of a mixed bag as to how well the hometown artist fares in this situation - we have had a fifth place in Stockholm and a zero pointer in Austria but no back-to-back wins since 1994 during Ireland's 'golden era'.  Where will Portugal's act finish in May?  They took their NF on the televote tie-break - Cláudia Pascoal (with her 'secret partner' Isaura) sung the beautiful "O Jardim":

I have to admit that I saw none of the Portuguese selection process and only kept up to date with what was happening via social media and news sites - I would also say that on first audio listen that this song didn't even register with me, my favourite at the time being "Canção do Fim" by Diogo Piçarra.  Of course, that was the kiss of death, as he pulled out of the competition after accusations of plagiarism.  Having kept out of the build-up and actual Final itself, I have come quite fresh to this song and these artists - Isaura is, for those who are unaware, the composer of the song and despite her slightly odd attire that looked a little like a strait jacket, had a major part to play in this winning Festival da Canção 2018:

Unusually for my reviews, I want to start with the lyrics of this song - I know that I have said many times this season that not knowing the language affects how well an entry might do in the 'white heat' of a Eurovision Final but knowing the sentiment of the words here is SO important:


And now in English (thanks to UnexpectedFeeling on YouTube):


Now THAT is a message!  Not political, not an in-your-face social treatise, this is a song of love, a song of regret - the reason that Isaura is involved (if uncredited vocally) is that this is a song written about her grandmother's garden that she took care of just before the old lady passed away.  The continued tending of the garden keeps the memory alive - now those are thunderbolt lyrics straight to the heart!  Even though this is in Portuguese and most viewers will not understand the words, they will understand the passion and emotion that both women are feeling and that is, in turn, being transmitted to the audience.


As far as being totally at one with the whole of an entry this year, you will have to go a long way to beat the three minute journey that Cláudia and Isaura takes us on.  Some fans said that the lead vocals were a little bit shaky at times - I put that down to the way that the singer became immersed in the song itself.  When I first heard this on audio, the reason it didn't register with me was that, when listening to it alone, the song seemed to lack something, those vocals needing the visual power of seeing this being sung.  I would equate this need to see the song being sung to that of Blanche in Kyiv and how "City Lights" eventually came together with singer and song portraying nervous energy and inexperience - "O Jardim" in contrast portrays Cláudia as having all the pent-up passionate energy and even draining sorrow towards the end, with Isaura showing complete calm as she has her back to the audience for about two thirds of the ballad but effectively comes to lend a 'vocal helping hand' to her friend.  Having an ex-reality music star upfront (Portuguese Idol and X Factor) helped the delivery of this entry a lot - no issues at all with connecting with the camera or with captivating the viewers at home.
How well could Cláudia Pascoal do in her and Isaura's attempt to defend Portugal's title in Lisbon?  I initially thought "Not very well" before I saw their performance at the NF.  After watching and listening to this beautiful track and wonderful emotional tale live?  A lot, lot better - no chance of another "Tu te reconnaîtras" or "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" back-to-back winner here in my opinion but "O Jardim" is an entry that will do the Portuguese public proud - no 'nil point' this year, it wouldn't surprise me if this could sneak into the top ten if everything goes its way, otherwise a mid-table finish would not be a bad result when compared to most of Portugal's Eurovision finishes...


From the artist who has the least distance to travel to Lisbon (300km from the Porto region) to the one who has the longest journey (18,000km from Sydney), Jessica Mauboy is Australia's representative this year.  Now I have already provided some background about this lady already so if you want to know what she has done before, have a look here - none of it seemed to involve laying in water though:

As you will have read, I was really excited to hear that this lady was being given the chance to actively participate in Eurovision this year and I felt that Australia had made a shrewd choice in allowing Jessica to sing in Lisbon.  Would the song be the missing piece of the puzzle?  What did we get?  #WeGotLove...sorry, "We Got Love":

Okay, so I've used the social media standard approach to a possible thread on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram - someone within the Australian delegation decided that the hashtag would look modern on the original promo material...but there was a slight issue:
'#We Got Love' would lead to a thread of '#We' surely?  Not the intention PR-wise, I'm sure!  It has been noticeably dropped now - a needless distraction that should be all forgotten by May.  As for the entry itself - I was unsure initially which direction Jessica would be taken in - ballad or uptempo.  "We Got Love" is definitely the uptempo toe tapper that Australia need to bring more variety to their entries, given they have not had a song of that pace since their debut with Guy Sebastian:



Is Jessica's song as engaging as that?  It is different, that is my initial impression.  "We Got Love" ticks the first box of being instantly catchy musically - the background rumbles of thunder at the start that then turn into the crashing drums hooked my ear straight away and the pulsating beats throughout, interlaced with the keyboard lending atmosphere to the whole, makes this incredibly listenable.  Jessica has a superb voice - I hope that her live vocals are as good as the studio because these words will SOUND amazing:

I don't doubt that Jessica will bring her all to the Altice Arena and the Australian entry will sound spot on technically but for me, the narrative of the lyrics themselves are the weak point of this entry - not because they are in any way wrong or sound awkward, because they aren't.


The words are very measured and yet powerful but are never designed to offend anyone listening, the perfect formula to get a number one placing in a chart when you have the power of a record label behind you but not necessarily a Eurovision winning song.  The verse builds up nicely, the intro grabs you immediately, the chorus has an earworm quality but for me, none of the words have any real passion - it is like hundreds of other pop songs and as prose, the words just don't stand out in any way.  It would be ironic if this was all deliberate, given where Jessica's first break came from:

Overall, "We Got Love" didn't tick all my boxes.  Having said all that, as far as Lisbon placings are concerned, I cannot imagine that Australia will not reach the Final - Jessica is a professional singer who can handle the Eurovision stage, who can sing live and who knows how to perform and act, all the essentials to be a success at the Contest.  As far as artists performing in Lisbon go, she is also a 'big name'.  Once singing for the Eurovision crown, I have to say that she will still be one of the best vocalists there, probably one of the more memorable acts in the Arena but I would suspect not the BEST entry.  Because of that, I can see a top ten place beckoning for her but unless we have the 2011 scenario again, where someone like Jessica giving a good solid performance and vocal, and who has the best night of her life whilst some of the other contenders fall apart, I cannot see Australia matching the favourites.  "We Got Love" is a good pop song, it will be remembered on the night, it will get votes all over the place - it just doesn't scream 'WINNER' to me.  Top five max perhaps, top ten likely...


I try to attempt to rate all Eurovision entries on my first listen - sometimes I get it spot on, sometimes I realise that perhaps I have been a bit too hasty in coming to a somewhat negative conclusion.  Portugal was one of those entries this year - my thoughts were initially based on studio track only and "O Jardim" is so, so much more than that when you add in the very subtle and yet poignantly beautiful performance of Cláudia Pascoal and Isaura.  Heartfelt, emotional and yet so simple - remind you of another Portuguese performance?  That might be its downfall - will it be considered to be too much on a par with Salvador?  Or will these two ladies hold their own on home ground?  As for Australia, we haven't heard a live performance of "We Got Love" and that might change all bets on a Jessica Mauboy win altogether.  I don't think that her vocals will be anything other than perfect but opinions can change and how her song gets staged could improve her chances of success.  So in the battle of the ex-Idols, what do we conclude?