You Let Me Walk Alone / Michael Schulte / Germany | Review

Michael Schulte: Walking to victory in Lisbon?

Following severe criticism from both the German press and public over the country's recent run of poor Eurovision results, the national broadcaster decided that it was now time for a new selection format. The outcome was Unser Lied für Lissabon (Our Song for Lisbon), a national final featuring six songs - the winner selected by a combination of public voting, a Eurovision panel consisting of one hundred members, and an international expert jury.

The clear stand-out of the six was Michael Schulte's You Let Me Walk Alone, a beautifully poignant composition which caught the imagination of all three sections of voters - each awarding the song the maximum twelve points. Co-written in memory of his late father, Michael demonstrates a true love for him through his very emotive lyrics; words which should easily connect to everyone throughout Europe.

Having placed third in The Voice of Germany in 2011, Shulte has proven that his vocals are sound and that singing live should not pose a problem. In fact, his voice has sufficient emotion to turn what could easily be an ordinary song into something much more compelling. Never do his vocals feel as if they are overpowered, even when the swelling orchestration kicks in during the final chorus.

That said, the song's prospects really depend on the staging it is given. In light of the subject matter, the Germans should really try to recreate the intimacy and sincerity of the official video. This type of visual production boosted the odds of acts like The Common Linnets from lowly also-rans to surprise favourites and the same could happen for Michael Schulte.

Get that right and the whole package will benefit, especially as the song also profits from a very contemporary tone. There's shades of both Adele and Ed Sheeran in its construction, but without it feeling like a pale imitation. It is certainly effective and, as a result, could easily see Germany score its best result in several years.

What are your thoughts?

Germany

Artists: Michael Schulte

Song: You Let Me Walk Alone

Big 5 Finalist

Image by Fanclub Michael Schulte (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Eurovision 2016: Review: Germany: Jamie-Lee Kriewitz: Ghost

Jamie-Lee Kriewitz will provide a Ghost-ly presence in Stockholm

Is it really a month since the public in Germany chose Ghost by Jamie-Lee Kriewitz as its entry at this year's Eurovision Song Contest? It seems so.

It was back in late February when Unser Lied für Stockholm  was broadcast as the replacement for Unser Song für Xavier,  following Xavier Naidoo's dismissal from the selection process due to his political and homophobic views. Instead, ten acts were introduced to fill the gap, one of which was 18-year-old Jamie-Lee - better known at home as the winner of the latest season of The Voice of Germany.

She brought to the Eurovision national final the song Ghost, her winner's single from The Voice  - a track which had already seen Top 20 chart action in Germany.

It's actually one of this year's stronger efforts, even if there is something naggingly familiar about parts of the song. It's probably because of this that you quickly find yourself humming along to the mid-tempo refrain and tapping your foot to the infectiously rhythmic backbeat. In fact, the more you hear the song, the less it sounds like a typical Eurovision entry, but instead a rather polished and convincing début fashioned in the mould of her British counterpart Ella Henderson - whose first hit was coincidentally called Ghost.

Whether Jamie-Lee will enjoy the same magnitude of success with her Ghost is another matter. The young singer is quirky enough to stand out on the Stockholm stage: her Manga dress sense portrays an extrovert and colourful individual, while there are hints in her vocal delivery of a throwback to Germany's 2010 winner.

It seems, then, that the teenager has the personality to prevail in Sweden, while her song is accomplished enough to succeed. Its momentum is unquestionably dependent on a favourable draw, along with some appealing staging.

All in all, Ghost could give Germany a deservedly spirited finish near the top of the scoreboard - a more than satisfying way to erase the haunting memory of 2015's nil points disaster.

What do you think?

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Image by © Markus Felix | PushingPixels (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Eurovision 2014: Germany: Is It Right?

Elaiza: Germany

Something of a surprise in mid-March at Unser Song für Dänemark, the German Eurovision national final, when a group of three relatively unknown young women won the right to represent their country in Copenhagen.

Elaiza was previously the victor of a wildcard round that was introduced to find new talent interested in competing in Eurovision. Demolition of the opposing competitors came very easily, as the group gathered almost a quarter of the tele-vote and trounced the second placed contender by over 6%.

As the knock-out rounds continued, the competition was whittled down to a straight choice between two: Elaiza and the more recognisable rock of Unheilig. In the end, the German public chose Is It Right?, a bouncy little number that seems to have disappeared under many people's radars over recent weeks.

Is this because the song is not very good or because it's easily forgettable. Neither really. It tries to blend traditional instrumentation (accordion, double bass) with a modern arrangement and the mixture succeeds. And once the chorus kicks in, it's very hummable and soon gets your foot tapping.

My only disappointment with it is that Germany seems to be relying on the Lena factor at the moment. Lead singer Elżbieta "Ela" Steinmetz's stylized vocals are very reminiscent of those by the 2010 winner. Is It Right? could quite easily be a track included on a forthcoming album from Lena.

As a consequence, my feeling is that Eurovision viewers are likely to demonstrate voter malaise with this one. Although the song really doesn't deserve it, a "we've heard it all before" reaction may well greet it.

That would be a shame. With a glut of ballads this year, a mid to uptempo track merits a reasonable total on the scoreboard. But will it be this one?

Image by Krd (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Four More For Eurovision 2010

March 12th saw four more countries throwing their songs into the Eurovision 2010 ring.

Here are the entries that will represent Estonia, Germany, Greece and the United Kingdom in Oslo in May.

Both Germany and the United Kingdom will automatically feature in the Final, while Estonia and Greece will have to fight for a spot there in the semi-final stages.

Estonia picked Malcolm Lincoln and Manpower 4 singing Siren.

Germany chose Lena Meyer-Landrut with Satellite.

Greece picked Giorgos Alkaios singing OPA.

The United Kingdom chose Josh Dubovie with That Sounds Good to Me.

So what do you think of these latest songs? And remember, you can see every currently announced entry at The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 page.