Ciro de Luca — “Imperdonabile”
I liked the way this started, with strong major chords on the piano and vocals emoting Italian to the max. But the chorus over-complicates matters with its jarring beats, and it wasn’t until the piano introduced the next verse that I felt at ease again. There’s a pleasantly smooth bridge with some more palatable, echoing beats — but of course the chorus has to return, thereby ruining the vibe. Like one of the Lithuanian entries I reviewed recently, if I’m waiting for the chorus to be over, it’s not going to be a song I rate very highly.

Cream, Minodora şi Diana Bucşă — “Romania mea”
I’m not entirely sure what to make of this, even after several listens. I suspect the regional (Romani?) instrumentation and vocal styling will make more sense in a live performance. Usually I’m fine with passing some kind of judgement on a song based on the studio version, but I have this feeling that seeing the physical interaction between the three women who sing on this track will help me understand the song more. At the moment, all I’m willing to say is that I like their harmonies, even if the chanting style isn’t really my thing, but the backing track is a bit one-dimensional, with the primary beat drowning out almost everything else. Perhaps this is reminding me of Spain’s Tanxugueiras, a song I’m not keen on.