This week’s Melodifestivalen entries are now available to listen to on the official site. Here are my first impressions of each of them – click on the title to hear it for yourself.
Jennifer Brown – Never Been Here Before
Traditional Eurovision ballad, enjoyable but not very memorable. Jennifer has been around since the early 90s and I know her best for the song Weak, but apparently Tuesday Afternoon (from ’98) was her biggest hit. She seems to have ‘filled out’ a bit since then.
Lili & Susie – Show Me Heaven
These sisters are Swedish pop legends, but haven’t released anything in many years. Their new single is upbeat and poptastic, an Alcazar-type song to bring them into the present day. It’s all very Eurovision, but not terribly original. Nonetheless, I think they stand a great chance of getting to the final.
Markoolio – Kärlekssång från mig
This pop comedian who sings in Swedish has released some ace singles in recent years. He has parodied schlager, Idol songs and Europop. Normally he raps and a girl singing, but here he is just singing. He is parodying a love song, and does it well as usual. He has many fans, but do those fans watch MF?
Amy Diamond – It’s My Life
Her first MF entry (last year) was fantastic, and this one’s written by The Bard himself! It sounds really good, apart from the way she sings “life”, which is a bit grating at first. In every other way it is perfect, so I hope I will stop being annoyed by the chorus soon. My favourite so far, certainly.
H.E.A.T – 1000 miles
A rock pastiche but sadly more Guns & Roses than The Ark. It’s not bad but certainly not good either. The writer is Martin Stenmarck’s brother, who wrote Martin’s hit 7milakliv, so that’s all their credibility written off. What is the point in this kind of thing? Wouldn’t rock fans rather hear real rock bands?
Lasse Lindh & Bandet – Jag Ska Slåss I Dina Kvarter!
He was unsuccessful last year, and he’s already a popular indie star so I’m not sure why Lasse would try again. However, he is trying a bit harder this year and entered the best song he’s ever done! It’s very jolly and you can even bop along to it. His new band have obviously done him a lot of good.
Måns Zelmerlöw – Hope & Glory
Cara Mia is one of the best MF entries of recent times, so he has a lot to live up to… and he achieves it! This is my favourite of this year’s MF so far. It’s totally joyous and super-catchy, the best thing Måns has released since Cara Mia. I can’t wait to hear it in full, and watch lovely Måns singing it!
Cookies n Beans – What If
With that weird name I expected a tacky novelty act, but instead got a 3-piece country girl band. They’re like the Swedish Dixie Chicks, but a bit older. It’s a really nice song and I think it could pick up quite a lot of votes from the older viewers. They have a chance for reaching the final, but I don’t think to win.
In summary, my favourites are 1. Måns, 2. Amy, 3. Lili & Susie, 4. Lasse, and I think Måns and Lili & Susie will go to the final with Cookies n Beans and either Amy or Markoolio to Andra Chansen. It’s a tough week actually. Of course it could all change depending on how they perform tomorrow night, and how the songs sound in full. I can’t wait to find out!