Eurovision 2016: Review: Slovenia: ManuElla: Blue & Red

ManuElla to fly the Slovenian flag in Stockholm

In a national final comprised of ten acts, the Slovenian public was very quickly left with a stark choice between Black and White or Blue and Red. In the end, by a small margin, the more colourful song from ManuElla was selected as Slovenia's entry in this year's Contest.

In the weeks since the end of February, this toe-tappin', Country-influenced piece of Americana has undergone some subtle changes in its production. It now sounds even more like a hybrid of the type of output one would expect from Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.

Add in some bluegrass banjo twanging and you could imagine that this might fare quite well on Billboard's Country Music chart.

Over recent years, the few who have tried this genre at Eurovision have managed quite well. The Common Linnets' surprise success immediately comes to mind, of course - but this owed as much to the staging as it did to the song. ManuElla's Country vibe, however, comes from a different place. Blue and Red is bereft of the moodiness and emotion which enveloped Calm After the Storm, instead opting for an upbeat offering which would also not sound out of place as a track on a Corrs' album.

As there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about the song (and, hopefully, ManuElla's vocals will improve slightly before May), Slovenia's chances may then be more dependent on how their entry is presented.

Apparently, the mid-song costume change has thankfully been ditched in favour of a more striking white dress. What other visuals Team Slovenia has up its sleeve remain to be seen of course, but it has been handed a reasonably good Semi-Final 2 second half draw.

Even so, at best, it feels as if Slovenia may struggle to qualify this year.

What do you think?

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