[LMBTO] Will anyone Swiss 'shine' brighter this year at Eurovision?

Steam may have been rising for Mélanie René in last year's Swiss National Final but it all went badly wrong in Vienna, where she finished bottom of her Semi-Final with the lowest amount of points.  Totally undeserved in my view as she always nailed her vocals and did her best to stage such an unusual song - maybe 'Time To Shine' as the song title became a jinx on her stint at Eurovision.  She was back this year as one of the jurors - could she help find a song and artist for Switzerland who could get a position more like Sebalter the year before?

I didn't watch this National Final live for a few reasons:

• The Danish NF was on at the same time and I wanted to see Anja Nissen claim that Eurovision place that would set Denmark up for their third successive win on Swedish soil (yes, we all know how well that turned out: DMGP 2016);
• I've seen this NF a couple of years in a row now and I'm not a huge fan of artists having to perform covers, especially when it seems as though they are doing so just to pad out the show;
• I believed (hoped, prayed, crossed fingers etc) that the lady on the left of this Canadian duo was going to walk this selection process and I could just catch up with it another time:

My reasons for having such a strongly held conviction?  This performance in the 'Expert Check' round of 'Die Grosse Entscheidungs Show 2016' will sum all those up:

Superbly sung, oodles of stage charisma and stunningly attractive, even though she was wearing what amounted to a recycled dress, Rykka was clearly head and shoulders (bare though they were) above anyone else during the jury stage of the Swiss NF.  I had no doubt that she would win but the 'elephant in the room' during the Swiss selection process is the Covers section - singing someone else's song can ruin an artist's chances by turning them into a pub karaoke singer.

As I didn't see these performed live but did catch who won right at the end of the show, after most of Europe were scratching their heads over the Danish public's selection of Lighthouse X to go to Stockholm, my reviews will be tempered slightly by knowing which act won.  Even so, I wanted to get an idea of whether that decision was a reasonable one on the night, so here goes!  My scores are based on the Eurovision entry, by the way...

Bella's entry reminded me partly of a Bond theme (not one of the more memorable ones though, less 'Goldfinger', more 'Another Way To Die') and partly of a filler song for 'The Two Ronnies'.  She is obviously a very good singer and a skilled pianist but this was all very one level, no real peaks or troughs, totally forgettable after the last note played and sung.  Staging was always going to be difficult with her being stuck behind the piano then standing in one place due to the restrictions of the cocktail dress she was wearing - it all became about watching her face and connection with the viewers at home, of which there was none at all.  All of her emotional output went to the studio audience but I didn't feel part of this entry.  Her cover was almost identical in delivery apart from the lyrics being sung in an odd accent which didn't suit this classic song - it showed how well Alicia Keys sings this complicated composition and how maybe this wasn't the best choice for Bella.  Again there was no connection with the camera with this one - both songs would have appealed to an old school Eurovision audience but Bella C's entry would have left her nation low down the non-qualifiers on SF night.  6.0

And now onto the 'wildcard'.  I say that only because Kaceo got the chance to be in the NF after a disqualification and the fact that their Eurovision entry performance could be described as such!  The lead singer going all 'Bernie Clifton', riding an inflatable unicorn?  Big cardboard cut-outs of a polar bear and a penguin?  This was obviously played totally for laughs and getting the maximum audience interaction possible which the band succeeded in - as a UK Eurovision fan, my heart sank as I have been subjected to such 'joke entries' before through our own selection processes (Daz Sampson and Scooch spring hideously to mind) and the damage that sending such an entry does to your country's image amongst other fans.  If this had been Switzerland's choice, another year of not qualifying for the Final would have been guaranteed and the Eurovision standing of this nation would have gone down in my eyes.  Don't get me wrong, the band did what it did very well, it was fun, well sung with lots of energy - just not for me though.  The cover of the 'first song played on MTV' was a novel one, using the "devil's instrument" as a major part of the music but it wasn't really much of a jump away from the original - at least Trevor Horn got some royalties for this section.  5.5

Switzerland obviously likes solo guys singing a moody song, strumming their guitar!  Having two would surely split their demographic vote, wouldn't it?  A very melodic song, a nice set of intriguing lyrics well sung and a good looking guy singing them, this nearly had everything that a decent Eurovision entry needs.  The main downside was that it was all very low key again, much in the same way that Bella C's entry was.  I could imagine playing this late at night if I wanted to go off to sleep, it was so soothing - the problem with that would be it would be totally unmemorable at Eurovision.  A nice song sung well but that was it.  Ironically, much like Vincent's set of two, Theo's cover song was far more entertaining, a much better listen, more emotional connection with the audience and it showed off his singing ability a lot, lot more than "Because Of You" ever could.  Pity that 'Photograph' hadn't been written for Theo, he might have stood a good chance to getting to Stockholm - right singer, wrong song.  6.0

Unlike last year, where I decided to base my decision on how well a song was going to do on the first listen, having heard this already (as you have done if you have read this post from the very beginning) meant I am now comparing this performance to the one at the Expert Check stage.  And it had lost something but I was not sure what.  The quirkiness maybe - Rykka was now in a beautiful dress and well styled, unlike the self-styled recycled dress and bare shoulder look that gave her an edge and a lot more sensuality.  Maybe it was the more polished performance - she seemed to have more of an attitude and a "don't care" vibe at the audition which made the whole entry more watchable.  Here in the NF, it looked as though she knew she was the favourite (the crowd loved her at the end) and was almost playing it safe, making sure that the vocals were right (they so were, best of the night for me), she looked good (which she did) and didn't make any mistakes (none to see).  It just lacked something she had before - hopefully something that could be found again.  It was still my favourite act of the six and the one I hoped would make it to Stockholm but I felt she had given the others a chance to catch her.  Unlike the two guys before her, the cover was not as good as her Eurovision entry - she sung it competently although there was the odd note off key to my mind and it was a difficult song to stage apart from sing it whilst stood still.  Another solid, rather than spectacular, performance but at this stage it looked to be enough.  7.5

Everyone was called back on stage and we received the result - at least the Swiss public/jury combination vote could recognise the best entry here on the night, contrary to what was happening in Horsens:

Rykka looked a bit stunned and didn't really say a lot of any significance after being selected but she did close the show in her Covers outfit, almost like something she'd go clubbing in:

To be honest, I think that I made the right call on which NF I decided to watch live - DMGP had a lot of drama and lots of talking points.  The only act that might have stood a chance of getting into the Danish Superfinal from DGES 2016 was Rykka and her winning the Swiss NF happened without much fuss.  It was nice to call the winner for a change but I felt that this gorgeous blonde was performing within herself, playing it safe with her styling and her vocals.  Good enough to get her the call to go to Stockholm but I would love to see the edgy "don't care' attitude she had during the Expert Check again when she sings at pre-Parties and particularly at Eurovision.
I also think that the above look, unusual though it was, would get her noticed in Sweden, make viewers sit up and listen to her distinctive voice, absorb the song's meaningful lyrics and enjoy watching a simple but stunningly emotive performance.  If she is styled and choreographed as she was in the NF, I fear that Switzerland may end up not having any Saturday night interest in May yet again...