2019: Spain | Miki | La Venda

Unlike Spain's 2016 effort by Barei (remember Say Yay?), the country's latest Eurovision entry is unlikely to become that sort of radio friendly hit which stormed up the iTunes chart well in advance of the national final - or indeed the Grand Final in May.

Miki's La Venda (Blindfold) does, however, follow the current musical fad for Latin based rhythms and it would have been a sin had Spain not latched on to this trend - it is a Spanish entry, after all!

Over the past few years, the country has produced what should have been some genuinely competitive entries – among them Edurne, Barei and last year's ballad from Amaia and Alfred - only to see them wind up near the bottom of the scoreboard.

However, what might go in their favour this year is a positive return to the unique Iberian style that Spain can generally be expected to supply. La Venda is catchy and uptempo - the sort of thing one would normally expect from the Spanish.

As Eurovision entries go though, the song is fairly innocuous and Miki will have to improve the quality of his presentation skills if he is to garner enough votes to make much of an impression. A competent, compelling performance is what is required.

One thing that was apparent from the national final was that Miki's vocals need to improve dramatically if this entry is going to be a contender. He sounded out of tune for much of the three minutes. And while the Latin beat and football-style chanting demand a party atmosphere, Miki's stage presence nevertheless comes across as somewhat clumsy and lacking in poise. This makes him look more of an exuberant amateur than a potential global pop star.

Still, these are all problems which can be rectified with the help of a more slick and competent presentation – something the Spanish team will hopefully try to put together between now and May.

Nevertheless, juries will probably hate the song. So the whole package will have to be memorable, energetic and entertaining enough for the viewing public to rush to vote. I can't see that happening at this point, so Spain looks likely to suffer yet another disappointing year.

What do you think?

Spain 

Artist: Miki

Song:  La Venda

Big 5

Tu Canción / Alfred and Amaia / Spain | Review

Alfred and Amaia will sing for Spain in Portugal

Spain's revived reality show, Operación Triunfo - its version of Fame Academy - served as the country's selection process for this year's Eurovision entry and, after a long process, the victors were announced as the couple Alfred and Amaia with the syrupy love song, Tu Canción (Your Song).

Spain hasn’t entered a classic ballad for several years and a duet for even longer. Perhaps 2018's outcome is a reaction to the last three year's disappointing uptempo results or maybe it’s because this duo delivered the standout performance in what seemed an underwhelming national final.

Taken on its own terms, Tu Canción is a solid effort. It’s melodic, romantic, well constructed and ticks all the right boxes of a meaningful love song. The problem is that it brings absolutely nothing new to the table – and some wobbly vocals from Alfred doesn't help matters.

Still, there’s no overlooking the chemistry between Alfred and Amaia, particularly noticeable in the reprise as they performed face-to-face while holding hands. As many former Eurovision acts have discovered to their cost, you can’t fabricate this sort of charisma.

This whole love story scenario could make for a persuasive package on the Eurovision stage, but I can’t see it breaking Spain’s recent record of mediocre scores; I also can’t imagine the song having any kind of life outside the contest.

However, there's no doubting that the sincerity of this concoction transcends any language barrier, but can it seduce the Eurovision audience in the same way that Salvador captivated it with his Portuguese love song? I fear not.

SPAIN

Artists: Alfred and Amaia

Song: Tu Canción

Finalist | Big 5

Eurovision 2016: Review: Spain: Barei: Say Yay!

It's been more than two weeks since Spain said "Yay!" to Barei and her controversial English-language entry for Eurovision 2016.

Even before the Spanish national final, Say Yay! was riding high on the country's iTunes charts - seemingly giving it some credibility ahead of the votes from the public and the in-studio jury. This sales success is possibly no surprise because the song has an uplifting and memorable chorus and tries to hit all the right spots for a modern pop release.

Where it falls down is in its identity. Some rather vocal critics in Spain and beyond have decried the abandonment of the country's use of its language in favour of a song which could have been produced anywhere across Europe. There is a lot to this argument. Spain is normally a reliable advocate of its culture - particularly its language. It's sad to discover that the country has ditched this criterion, but perhaps a temporary change is needed to test the Eurovision waters with a different approach. That is an argument that could run and run.

Barei

What's not in dispute are the glaring problems highlighted in the national final. Barei and her team sadly lack any great stagecraft and the vocals will need quite a lot of work before Say Yay!'s appearance in Stockholm. Of course, it's not always an easy task to judge a country's presentation when space is lacking in a TV studio. However, someone needs to tell Barei to ditch the awkward dance moves along with the less than sophisticated outfit she chose for the evening.

While much of what we saw and heard appeared unpolished, there is still time for the whole package to be improved. Get the vocals and the presentation on point and Spain could walk away with one of its finest finishes in years. At the moment, Say Yay! is one of the best among a distinctly lacklustre selection.

What do you think?

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Review: Spain: Eurovision 2015 | Edurne

By Jose Luis Heredia (Edurne) 
[CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Ruth Lorenzo caused a few ripples in 2014, but it has been a while since Spain has created a noticeably significant fuss amongst the Eurovision runners and riders. Not so this year. Even before the internally-selected release of Amanecer by Edurne, her team had been able to create a real sense of expectancy through clever hints and tempting teasers about the song.

But was there a sense of disappointment when Amanecer was finally revealed? A little, at first. With such a well-choreographed build-up to its release, I was anticipating something epic - but it didn't sound that way initially. It took several more plays to really appreciate the energy behind the creative process of the entry.

It seems that Edurne has been afforded superior production values in the creation of Amanecer, giving the track the perception of auditory opulence. The melody is layered with rousing drum work and sumptuous strings over which this attractive singer gives some of the best vocals so far heard at this Contest.

It all feeds into what has become a very visual experience: Spain's promotional efforts now include a specially produced video in which Edurne is transported to a magical landscape, complete with tiger, handsome hero and an abundance of fantasy film references.

Whether this is a clue to the staging in Austria is unclear, but if the production team can pull off the imagery and Edurne can replicate what sounds like an ambitious vocal, then a spot high in the Top 10 is not out of the question.

What do you think?

Eurovision 2014: Hungary, Latvia and Spain Decide

Three Eurovision national finals were completed this past weekend and now we have the 2014 songs that will represent Hungary, Latvia and Spain. Another entry was also revealed, as the internal selection from (FYR) Macedonia was presented on local television.

With so many shows to choose from, you really have to be an expert at dipping in and out of all of the video feeds provided. As I'm not one, I decided to stay with Spain's show for the evening. Only five songs in the presentation and one of them was a personal favourite, so TVE's show was a must-see.

The quality of songs from Spain this year was above average, but the winning ticket eventually came down to just two of them. My preferred choice (and that of the Spanish jury) was Brequette's Más, but the telephone vote favoured Ruth Lorenzo's Dancing in the Rain. Consequently, there was a tie. In this situation, the public's wishes prevailed and the latter became Spain's entry for Copenhagen.

Among the already announced songs, it's one of the better entries, but I don't feel it's strong enough to win. The presentation of the ballad on Saturday evening was very "shouty", although Ms. Lorenzo does usually have a fabulous voice. Her vocal ability will, no doubt, impress the juries in Denmark when the time comes, but this Disneyesque type song tends to get ignored by the public. Having said that, it should get high marks from the UK, where the singer is most recognisable from her stint on The X-Factor.

Over to Hungary 

Meanwhile, in Hungary, eight songs were featured in the A Dal final, of which four were pushed through to the Super Final by an expert jury. It was up to the Hungarian public to pick the winner and it ultimately chose Running sung by András Kállay-Saunders.

Now, this one I like - very much. It has a solid, contemporary soul/R'n'B vibe going on and is a song that you could easily see climbing the music charts around the world. Although there is a story and a message within its lyrics, it's extremely radio-friendly and is likely to appeal to both a young and more mature audience alike.

Depending on its presentation and execution on the night, we could very well be listening to the winner right here. Budapest 2015?

Heading North to Latvia

Dropping in at the Dziesma in Ventspils, Latvia was like moving from the sublime to the ridiculous. I must admit that I didn't hear all twelve of the songs in contention at this national final, but having heard the winner it was perhaps for the best. This time, twelve were whittled down to three for a Super Final. The 50/50 combination of jury and televoting gave the win to the group Aarzemnieki with the song Cake to Bake.



Much like Switzerland and Malta, Latvia have chosen a group and song that will try and charm votes out of viewers. Unlike those fellow entrants, Cake to Bake's jaunty, campfire feel is more likely to extinguish any hope that Eurovision 2015 will take place in Riga.

In fact, the instrumentation is probably the only thing that this effort has going for it. The vocals are pretty bad and the lyrics worse. Not even Mary Berry could help this entry rise to the occasion!

Is your favourite Eurovision song amongst these?