Here's my full review as promised
1. AZERBAIJAN - I'm still not impressed with either the song or the performer or her performance. Nothing was coherant within the performance and her vocals were sub-standard at best.
2. SPAIN - Considering the idiot that interrupted him (who according to Graham Norton was arrested and in custody before Norway started singing) he coped very well first time. Second time he was just as good. A decent song with a very good vocal performance. @ Niko - I think the last interruption was in 1964 as an objection to the rulers in Portugal and Spain at the time (Salazar and Franco) but because the man was a complete idiot he came on between the Swiss and Belgian songs instead of his intention to come between the Belgian and Spanish songs
3. NORWAY - a competent but rather unspectacular vocal performance from Didrik. A song that should have had a lot more emotion was rather lamely and tamely delivered.
4. MOLDOVA - I'm still convinced Olia was going for the Barbara Dex award
. Improved from the semi but he still let the side down with his vocals.
5. CYPRUS - Never understood why this was so popular amongst many ESC fans around the websites. For me it was never anything more than a nice pleasant but unspectacular song....and my view has not changed since.
6. BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA - weakest song from them since 2005's disastrous song. However the performance was professional and competent....but totally uninspiring. They could've made much more from the title of the song.
7. BELGIUM - a much less nervy performance from Tom. It's a really nice song and he performed it very nicely indeed. It takes a lot of courage to be infront of a huge crowd like that on your own. Should have finished higher than 6th (certainly above Azerbaijan & Denmark).
8. SERBIA - I still don't get it. To me it sounds like a complete mess....he's just horrible to watch (despite being vocally sound)....and the whole production just made no sense. Worst song of the night for me
9. BELARUS - Another insipid performance of an insipid and ordinary song. The harmonies were better in the final than in the semi but the guys vocals just didn't fit the song at all IMO (especially the first one)
10. IRELAND - Again improved vocals from the semi. Niamh gave it her all but I think the fact that she seemed to be glued to the spot can't have helped her cause (although it did her well in 1993)
11. GREECE - There seemed to be something missing in the performance in the final
. Giorgos looked uncomfortable for some reason. Anyway - still don't like the song.
12. UNITED KINGDOM - Josh did very well indeed.....it's just a shame that the song is 15 years out of date
. Vocally he was sound but it was always going to struggle. After the good lesson we learnt last year we come back to this. It's time for the BBC to take a leaf out of the German's book and let's at least stop being the laughing stock.
13. GEORGIA - Another sterling vocal from Sofia. Still don't like the way she sings "shine" in the first chorus but once the song builds she does very well vocally.
14. TURKEY - Another completely magnificent performance from maNga. This song was outside my top 10 prior to Thursday's semi.....now it will probably end as my #1 of the year. Everything about the performance was absolute genius. Completely brilliant
15. ALBANIA - At times Juliana has a rather annoying nasal quality to her voice (is it an Albanian thing - Anjeza Shahini anyone
). However she didn't put a note out of place and nailed the performance again. It was never going to challenge though
16. ICELAND - Hera has a fabulous voice (possibly the best female voice of the contest - but more of her main contender later
) and the song is typical Europop. It was delivered with perfection so it remains a mystery as to why it failed when the inferior song and performance of another Europop song (Denmark) did so well
17. UKRAINE - As with Serbia - I still don't get it. The song is decent at times.....and painful to listen to at others. No doubting Alyosha performed it well though. It's just the SONG I don't like
18. FRANCE - Catchy as heck. Performed very well - not that it's a difficult song vocally. They made it fun and frenetic to watch.
19. ROMANIA - Ovi wasn't quite there vocally at the beginning in the semi but come the final he'd got it together. Paula is the only female to challenge Hera in terms of vocals....and I think Paula just edges it because of the wonderful operatic interlude. All round a wonderful performance of a great song that thoroughly deserved to do as well as it did
20. RUSSIA - OK. The composition of this song is superb. Musically it's a beautiful song, the lyrics are decent.....but his voice is utterly horrendous. Had someone else sung it I would've preferred it.
21. ARMENIA - I don't know if it was just me but it looked in both the semi and the final that the old guy at the beginning of the song wasn't actually playing that instrument
. Vocally Eva is sound and the overall performance was effective.
22. GERMANY - the song is catchy (and my friend who was watching it with me and is not an ESC fan said this was the best song of the night)....but does anyone really believe that she can sing? The vocals were amongst the poorest of the night. However the song was good enough to stand out amongst this field.
23. PORTUGAL - I don't think she was quite as shrieky as she was in the semi. Overall it wasn't bad but I still find the song rather forgettable
24. ISRAEL - Much improved from the semi....but he still lost it a couple of times. Shame because the song is simply wonderful.
25. DENMARK - annoying song, average vocalists, average performance of the song.....4th place
. Ridiculously overrated. I was horrified to see it get the first 2 12s.
MY RANKING
1. TURKEY
2. ROMANIA
3. ISRAEL
4. BELGIUM
5. ICELAND
6. IRELAND
7. ARMENIA
8. GEORGIA
9. GERMANY
10. ALBANIA
11. SPAIN
12. PORTUGAL
13. CYPRUS
14. MOLDOVA
15. NORWAY
16. BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
17. FRANCE
18. UNITED KINGDOM
19. RUSSIA
20. UKRAINE
21. BELARUS
22. AZERBAIJAN
23. GREECE
24. DENMARK
25. SERBIA
