[LMBTO] Eurovision : You Decide 2017 - Six UK Artists, First Listen...

Here we go - Monday 23rd January 2017, the beginning of the week where the UK finds out who will be representing us in Kyiv in May.  I will be at the Eventim Apollo this Friday as one of the many UK Eurovision fans there, getting involved in my second UK National Final as a spectator at the venue itself.  Of course we need acts to watch and listen to - Ken Bruce provided the first contact with the six hopefuls that will be vying for ours, the professional jury's and the BBC2 viewers' votes on the 27th.  There has been lots of views put forward on social media all day about each of the six entries heard this morning - now it's my turn!  I am basing the following comments on what I thought of each song on FIRST LISTEN, in a way trying to emulate what Eurovision viewers and jurors will think when the winning NF act makes it onto the Kyiv stage on Saturday May 13th.  This is only a test for the vocals and immediacy of the song - what they will look like on stage and sound like live in front of thousands of Eurovision fans, all willing them on to perform to their very best, is another matter.

I am reviewing them in the order that they appear on the BBC Eurovision site (as shown in the picture above), rather than the order they were played on the radio (I was working today) - you'll notice straight away that we seem to have taken a similar route to DMGP in that there are only soloists, no bands, no duos.  Whether that is intentional is another matter - the other commonality amongst the six is that they are ALL former reality television show singers.  At least that should mean they can sing live - hopefully...


Nate Simpson - "What Are We Made Of"


First impressions of his voice are that I wonder if Nate might struggle live with this, as it sounds at times here that his vocals falter a little.  This is almost like a gospel ballad in a nice but not particularly uplifting or dynamic way.  The lyrics are interesting and heartfelt although there's an odd change of pace towards the end that seems out of place - I got the feeling this would be a better sounding song with a lot more voices to help Nate out (a la a gospel choir, five more maximum).  Of course that might happen on the night, as all of these entries show off the singer alone with little or no backing.  As it is, I feel that this doesn't have the ability to stick in your head, it has little wow factor and if drawn early it could fade into the background.


Salena Mastroianni - "I Don't Wanna Fight"


This seems to be the most uptempo track of this year's NF and I enjoyed the music which had a light club beat which moved it along nicely.  The major beef I have with this entry is the lyrics - they remind me of Boggie, Dina Garipova, the Tolmachevy Sisters and Polina Gagarina, all singing about world peace, maybe attempting to bring some 'soft diplomacy' to Eurovision.  Of course that is one view, it could also be talking about a fight in a relationship but maybe I'm looking too much into this!  For me, Salena has the best overall package of the six artists - the music is catchy and upbeat, she sings it well and even the lyrics don't sound too corny at this pace.  It will be interesting to see how this is staged as I would imagine that the pace of the music might bring more reaction from the crowd than some of the other entries.


Danyl Johnson - "Light Up The World"


I'm not sure if it is the pseudo-African chanting in the background but this sounded quite musical theatre in parts, even a bit like a Disney love song.  Danyl sings it excellently but the song lacked much interest for me, it went round and round in circles (not 'Of Life', I hasten to add) and there just wasn't enough to get my notice all the way through the song.  If he was singing this in the Lion King, it would fit perfectly - as a song for Eurovision?  It's a nice listen but not an instant hit for a NF.  I have read that he is an excellent live performer - this song may need that sort of help...


Lucie Jones - "Never Give Up On You"


Now this is the best sung song of the six - Lucie has a superb voice and it is all very thoughtful, inspiring even.  The main issue I had with this one was that it doesn't seem to change its pace, kick onto the next level, just jump into gear and give us any sort of climax.  I was always listening for the main part of the song or a decent chorus to arrive but they never did.  The lyrics are very powerful and extremely interesting to listen to but is that enough if the music itself doesn't lead you on a journey?  At the moment, for this to work, Lucie would have to be the total focus, everyone looking at her and her singing.  This result could be stunningly captivating and entrancing but the risk of viewers zoning out is a biggie.  Having said that, this was one of my two favourite songs here.


Holly Brewer - "I Wish I Loved You More"


Looking and listening to the lyrics makes me think that several songwriters thought that going down the evangelical route was the way to go, even if it all sounds a bit naff.  Holly's vocals are good if not great and she does give this some welly - of all the entries this sounds the most "Eurovision", almost as though it could have been plucked from a heat of Melodifestivalen (unsurprisingly given the nationality of some of the songwriters).  Unfortunately the song itself does seem to drag a bit and becomes a bit bland - the one saving grace is that this lends itself nicely to some crowd participation as there appears to be a chanty clappy bit.  It does sound like many other NF songs of the past, very much of a muchness and I could see this entry vanishing into the pack rather than challenging for the win...


Olivia Garcia - "Freedom Hearts"


Another slowish paced song, almost at marching speed, that is again at one level most of the way through.  Olivia sings this well and there is a discernible chorus, unlike several of the other songs we will hear on Friday, but nothing about this song sticks in my head - all apart from what a "Freedom Heart" is.  This one drags along throughout the three minutes and this is another entry that risks being forgotten by voting time.  I suppose there is a key change but it really did nothing for me on first listen.


I think you can tell from my comments that none of these entries really enthused me with a sense of joy or any feelings of 'wow, that's a great song'.  The most obvious thing to note when looking at this year's set of artists is that there is a lack of diversity compared to last year's NF where we had: