Review: Azerbaijan: Eurovision 2015 | Elnur Hüseynov

Elnur Hüseynov returns to the Eurovision stage

The last time we saw Elnur Hüseynov on a Eurovision stage was back in 2008 when, dressed as an angel, he was half of the duo Elnur and Samir which presented Azerbaijan's debut entry, Day After Day. He now returns to the Contest with the song Hour of the Wolf, having been internally selected to represent Azerbaijan once again.

This time, there are no ridiculously excessive operatic elements to contend with, but instead, the ballad is punctuated with powerful gospel sections supplied by rousing choral voices. So much better than its predecessor from Dilara Kazimova; the brooding melody of Hour of the Wolf feels as if it is taking the listener on a journey, each exhilarating chorus building a dramatic sense of anticipation as the climax of the song approaches.

Once the choir combines with Elnur's voice and the rush of the unexpected key change hits, the song suddenly reaches dizzying heights, before the afterglow moment kicks in and everyone needs a cigarette.

If this roller-coaster of emotions can be cleverly re-enacted on stage in Vienna, there's no telling how well this song can score. Juries always oblige great vocals with plenty of points, so Azerbaijan's fate will almost certainly be in the hands of the public. A return to the Eurovision Top 10 is easily achievable with this, though.

What do you think?

Image by Daniel Aragay [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons