This year has an unfortunate trend: ballads. Almost every country has brought a slow love song to the table, and there is very little of the bizarre, eccentric stuff I expect out of my Eurovision diet. Perhaps this is because of Iceland's second-place finish last year with Yohanna's wonderfully-performed "Is It True?" Perhaps the worldwide recession's got everyone a little down and feeling a little languid. I don't know what it is, but Eurovision's average BPM this year is probably around 60. (The trend is so marked that 3+2, the group representing Belarus, had a dance song ready initially but switched to a ballad. And it's a good thing, because the first song was really mediocre...)
But I'm going to give you my very early top 10 list, and my 12-point song certainly does not follow the general trend:
12 pts - LITHUANIA - East European Funk // InCulto
Kazoos, trumpets, acoustic guitar... why doesn't Eurovision allow instruments again? Also, one part of this song reminds me of Ska a go go. The cheesiest and most steppable song in Eurovision this year, and just plain-out the best. Make sure to watch the acoustic version.
Acoustic (awesome) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZD0IcipQcc
Eurovision version (no instruments allowed, but they still have their kazoos...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnG4mPD8p4s
10 pts - BELGIUM - Me and My Guitar // Tom Dice
Okay, so it sounds a little too much like "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman... but come on, nearby Denmark has submitted someone else's song for the past three years, this year included. And the real shocker is this - a strong song coming from Belgium??? Hopefully the judges will push this one through, because the song is charming and he's got a great voice.
On stage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWruRPXHkEc
8 pts - NORWAY - My Heart Is Yours // Didrik Solli-Tangen
Can Norway win again? Why not? Didrik has one hell of a voice, and this is one hell of a song to use to show it off. The first line is cheesy ("somewhere"???) but he will make hearts melt across the continent. I would be very surprised if he didn't finish Top 3.
On stage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5nCcY4Vcwc
7 pts - FINLAND - Työlki Ellää // Kuunkuiskaajat
Did I use the word "charming" already? I've seen youtube comments giving this generally a negative reaction and I'm not sure why. It's more fun than Fairytale for sure. Reminds me of Romanca (Croatia 2008, my favorite from that year lol) with the tempos shifting all over the place (which in turn reminds me of Chopin's rubato). And that's why I like this entry - it's extremely musical; everything seems to float really freely.
On stage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOnYFzHdfQg
6 pts - SLOVENIA - Narodnozabavni Rock // Ansambel Roka Žlindre and Kalamari
Phew, I've finally memorized the title. Now I just need to get the artist. Narodnozabavni Rock ("folk rock") reminds me of early ABBA songs with the imitation of 70s-style rock, interplay between male and female vocal lines, and the killer hook(s). And yet Eurovision fans don't understand why Slovenians voted so overwhelmingly for this entry! Definitely a lot of fun
On stage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE1dqT8k6hU
5 pts - LATVIA - What For? // Aisha
ENGRISH ALERT. Yet another wacky year from Latvia. Note to songwriters: you have to use "For what," not "what for"!!! And the hook (which I won't spoil here... it's not just a bunch of "what for" statements) is hilarious... but I love the intense song too!
On stage (not sure what happened to the microphone at like 48 sec) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAm3JECzL48
4 pts - SERBIA - Ovo Je Balkan // Milan Stanković
This one will leave you wondering what's going on, guaranteed. Not as silly as last year, but much more tolerable and catchy.
On stage (this performance is the funniest, watch around 26 sec) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AItKBbSuslE
3 pts - FRANCE - Allez Ola // Jessy Matador
No live version yet, but this should be pretty hard to mess up, at least I'd HOPE so... I don't think this is going to do very well, which would be embarrassing especially since France TV is using Eurovision to promote the 2010 World Cup here. (French Eurovision fans complained about that!) The hyperactive beat has to get you on your feet!
Studio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MXrG-0i534
2 pts - ISRAEL - Milim // Harel Skaat
From early betting odds, this is favored to win. Actually, after Azerbaijan released its song, Azerbaijan became the favorite, but I really don't know what's going on there... Anyway, you can see why Israel might do well. A skilled vocalist who seems to be telling a very active, moving story, and a melody that follows that feel. And the piano is really good too. This might be ascending on my own list too, but I'm not convinced enough yet...?
On stage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJNx-g-Zpe0
1 pt - GREECE - OPA // Giorgos Alkaios and Friends
I don't normally care for Greece's entries, and honestly this should've been sung by a girl, but this year's field just isn't as exciting, so this one slipped in. The underwhelming melody and vocalist are saved by the energetic instrumental and the muscular, bare-chested, dancing men yelling "OPA!"
On stage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0scJgK7Hri0
Other entries I like or kind of like:
- Belarus
- Romania
- Azerbaijan (The "drip drop" hook is really cheesy because of her accent and the obvious inspiration from American pop music, really noticeable when she goes "whoa, whoa". Feels far too forced. Eurovision winner? Really?)
- Ireland (Has the unfortunate characteristic of sounding like Norway's song but not being comparable in quality)
- Moldova (not sure this was good live - you guys would love this one, it's a good dance song at least in studio)
- Denmark (sounds like a ripoff of some other song, business as usual for Denmark!)
- Estonia (well, not really, but it's just so damn weird!)
- Albania (no way I'm voting for her, she definitely bribed the judges - in fact, at the national final, the crowd cheered when one of the judges did NOT give her 12 points, instead awarding her 10!)
Finally, I should mention that the semifinal will finally be scored half-judges half-televoting (well, some ratio), something that was sorely lacking last year. Yes, the final was half judge scoring, but I would've liked to have seen Andorra do better, for instance. Also, Andorra, Hungary, and Montenegro have dropped out for financial reasons, along with Czech Republic who had been doing very poorly (0 points last year, and I liked that entry!) and whose citizens just lost interest, while Georgia has returned a year after their disqualification for the political, Engrished "We Don't Wanna Put In." And Ukraine? Well, they've been pretty funny this year... they basically changed their entry because of a change in government. And the chosen song was plaigirised, so they STILL don't have a song! They have a week to find one or make one. (And for the same singer - for some reason, she didn't get disqualified, only her song.)
As for the UK... Stock & Waterman (?) are rewriting the song to better suit the winner. Good thing... it's pretty awkward right now.
So deserved it, considering it really was the most popular song in Europe out of all of the entries in the first place before the contest even began, regardless if Azerbaijan & Armenia refuse to admit it or not. It presented something so new and current to the competition that I'm amazed no one else thought of entering a song like Lena's before. Fast young pop hit with a hint of infectious synthpop beats. 
