The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 is less than 2 months away and all the songs for this year’s contest are now know. You’ll have seen the videos as they were released (you can find them all here) and I am sure you all have your own personal favourites.

Over the next few weeks, I will give you my review of this year’s entries. The views are entirely of my own personal opinion and I encourage you to share your views in the comments section. Please do try to keep your comments constructive though, rather than simply declaring your hatred for the entry.

In order to avoid personal bias, I’ve decided to review the songs based on their semi-final. So in part 1, we’re looking at the first half of Semi-Final 1 (plus 2 of the songs already qualified for the Grand Final).

		Moldova		I Want Your Love – Eduard Romanyuta				Score
				Initially this song feels familiar. It has a catchy beat and tune, but you feel like you’ve heard it before. In my opinion, it does feel slightly dated for the modern audience – although a good little pop song, a bit unremarkable. Had it been entered a few years ago, I think it would have had a broader appeal. It should however still find some fans around Europe.

		Armenia		Face the Shadow – Genealogy				Score
				This is a very mature song. Well produced and performed and with a lot of potential. The idea behind the band is great and the performers each very good. However I feel there may be some work to go on this song. The singers sound great individually and in harmony, but when moving from one singer to the next, their different singing voices seem to compete with one another rather than blend together. If they can better match the solo parts so that the voices have more cohesion, then this could do very well.

		Belgium		Rhythym Inside – Loïc Nottet				Score
				This is one of those songs that you either love or you hate. It is a style of music I quite like from time to time, but unfortunately the first time I heard it I was left underwhelmed. It has grown on me to some extent however. It is an incredibly modern and professional song and very brave of Belgium to select an entry like this. It will all depend on the staging for them in my opinion.

		Netherlands		Walk Along – Trijntje Oosterhuis				Score
				I can’t help but like this song. It is very well performed and has a feel good factor that makes you happy listening to it. It is missing the wow factor though. The song is quite repetative, so you expect it to build up to something special (maybe a spectacular key change or a change in tempo) but it doesn’t quite happen. It’s likeable and should get votes, but is it enough?

		Finland		Aina mun pitää – Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät				Score
				This is a very difficult song to review. It is in a very specific genre and if you don’t like that style of music, you’re never going to like this song. It’s going to stand out, it’s going to cause discussions, and it probably will get votes.

		Greece		One Last Breath – Maria Elena Kyriakou				Score
				A beautiful ballad and very “Eurovision”. Greece continues to enter good quality entries. In a year with a lot of ballads, this one should stand out a bit as it really is meant for a big stage. It ticks a lot of boxes, and assuming a good staging and performance, should to very well indeed

		Estonia		Goodbye to Yesterday – Elina Born & Stig Rästa				Score
				A very contemporary entry (with a retro feel) very reminicent of The Common Linnets last year. The artists have great voices and the simple staging in the national final should work well to gian votes from both the Jury and the Public. Although not one of my personal favourites, I think it will score well

		FYR Macedonia		Autumn Leaves – Daniel Kajmakoski				Score
				FYR Macedonia is usually one of my favourite entries every year, however I really wish they hadn’t decided to enter the song in English. The original was one of my favourites of the year. In English, I feel it gets a little lost among the other entries. It’s very pleasant to listen to, and is still a good song, but will it get the votes?

		Australia		Tonight Again – Guy Sebastian				Score
				A very good quality song from a great singer. It’s very contemporary and something you are likely to sing along to on the radio. In my opinion, this R&B style song could be difficult to stage though. A great song also needs a great performance to get the votes. Will Australia be able to pull off a great stage performance with this entry though? I think it is likely to do better with the Juries than the televoters, but given this wildcard entry is a first, who knows what will happen?

		France		N’oubliez pas – Lisa Angell				Score
				Everything you expect from a French power ballad. A very sophisticated song and performance with the potential for fantastic staging. With the right position in the final, it could do very well – particularly with the Juries