[ad_1]
It’s been another crazy night of pop, and tonight it was last year’s finalist Raylee who got a ticket to this year’s final. It is quite deserved in my book, because here it was a considerably smoother level than last weekend.
Their aerobic courtship went straight to the audience, and so it is understandable, but still disappointing, that they were not swayed by Maria Solheim’s pearl song. We can bet on the wild card final.
We were also fortunate to have a very lovely meeting with Ketil Stokkan himself, while the Stavanger colleagues showed their relatively anonymous and prequalified contribution. Congratulations to Raylee and see you next weekend!
THE:
Vote with your mobile in MGP 2021
Read the review of tonight’s songs here:
Raylee – “Hero”
-
Words and melody: Andreas Stone Johansson, Anderz Wrethov, Laurell Barker, Thomas Snemosard and Frazer Mac
- I met Maria Solheim in the first duel (she went to the golden duel)
- Met Daniel Owen at the gold duel (he won the gold duel and is ready for the MGP final)
Raylee, finalist from last year, will try again this year and, as in 2019 Wild is Hero an unpretentious courtship with the typical pop audience. This aerobics treatment with Jane Fonda is fresh, energetic, danceable, and stereotypical like the MGP-esk.
Raylee also embraces the ’80s approach to the stage: the hair, costumes, and choreography are all like something out of the glory days of MTV. His voice is terrifyingly shaky in parts, but the problem with the song itself is that it is exceptionally unchallenging to listen to.
Hero It is for the ears there is a glass of milk for the mouth, but Melodi Grand Prix is a milk-thirsty cup lamb. Despite (or perhaps due to) its simplicity is Hero catchy, easy to remember and easy to put on. So I shouldn’t be surprised if this will be another hit for Raylee.
However, it is obvious that it seems to be the somewhat simple cousin of last year. Wild, in a kind of Klodrik / Donald relationship.
Daniel Owen – «Psycho»
-
Words and melody: Daniel Elmrhari, Paria Ahmadzade, Marius Hongve, Henrik Høven, Patrick Brizard, Jørgen Troøyen, Leif Inge Fosen and Marcus Nilsen Ulstad
- I met Ketil Stokkan in the first duel (he went to the gold duel)
- Met Raylee at the golden duel (smoke, get another shot at the wild card final)
Ten years after the victory at Norwegian Talents, Daniel Owen will start at the Melodi Grand Prix with the song Psychopath. He has a minimalist expression that gives subtle nods to the late 90s boy band RnB.
It’s intentionally by-produced and laid-back, but my biggest problem with this case is that it all ends before you know it. You sit and wait for that Psychopath It should get off to a good start, and even if the chorus is hanging around the ears like an aggressive wasp, the overall impression is that a piece of the finished product remains. I’m also starting to get avidly tired of the falsetto pre-chorus, that is.
Live, too, Owen isn’t a particularly strong vocalist tonight, but there may be nerves. He’s a much stronger dancer than a singer, so you probably have the feeling that we have a carpenter here who is trying his hand at electrician work.
Stavanger comrades – «Streets of childhood»
- He is prequalified for the final
The ring fox comrades in Stavanger have chosen a somewhat surprising approach to their involvement in pop: a revamped song, inspired by Christian rock, with enormous radio whisper potential.
Streets of childhood It is in that sense a kind of hymn to grow into what we have to assume is… Stavanger. The rather unoriginal event has some fairly immediate similarities to some United Artists projects, but perhaps that’s the way it is when a super band forms.
That being said, the chorus is catchy enough and there’s nothing wrong with the overall singing factor. I’m still not sure how unique this song feels in a possible international finale. You’ll probably be drowning in more colorful elements, and also feel a bit choppy on stage.
Maria Solheim – “The Northern Lights”
-
Words and melody: Andreas Gjone, Camilla North, Elsbeth Rehder, Torgeir Ryssevik and Maria Solheim
- Met Raylee in the first duel (smoke, get another chance in the “wild card” final)
The skilled composer Maria Solheim has chosen to pay tribute to what I subjectively believe is the most beautiful part of the country of Norway: the north. Solheim’s heartfelt spectacle The northern lights perhaps not on par with the unique work of Kari Bremnes Are you north?, but it’s not far off in terms of poetic and local romantic paintings from northern Norway.
Here, the art of the text is so good that Solheim’s voice doesn’t need to do much more than convey it with conviction. She handles it brilliantly, and the result is a song that sparks as much love for northern Norway as møsbrømlefsa and the midnight sun. We can only hope The northern lights don’t go too slow for a dance hungry pop audience.
Ketil Stokkan – “My life is fine”
- I met Daniel Owen in the first duel (smoked, goes to the final “wilcard”)
This is an absurd experience. Has anyone opened a 1986 time capsule? This song practically cries out for a Walkman. Music like this is really rare in 2021.
Beyond the obvious hooked chorus, there is a dream-inducing accompaniment here that may well be a preset on a Casio keyboard that Stokkan won at Donald in the ’80s. In other words, I wish I had followed much longer at the event but there is no doubt that the nostalgic approach will give the legend some points in the audience.
Textually, there isn’t much to brag about here, but the message is at least easy to back up: Equality for all. It’s not exactly very controversial, but it’s okay. It’s hardly possible to be anything more rigid on stage than Stokkan achieves here, but it really only makes it sweeter.
Bottom line: no fireworks, but a cozy meeting with a pop legend.
