Lily Löwe — “Bad Baby”
While it’s not a bad idea at Eurovision to start your song with the chorus if possible, there is such a thing as relying too much upon it. This glam rock track (with a dash of metal) seems to be forever in a hurry to return to its fist-pumping, semi-chanting chorus. On one hand, this almost guarantees it will be stuck in your head — often a crucial element of a successful Eurovision entry — but of course the flip side of this is that the song becomes very repetitive and unadventurous once the basics are laid down. The vocals are appropriately rough and ready, although the instruments are often a wall of sound more than anything else (guitar solo halfway though aside). The main strength is the general vibe of the song and the big chorus – – the question is whether it will blow aside the gentler entries in this semi, or run out of steam and be caught out.

Steffen Jakobsen — “With Me Tonight”
I guess it was only a matter of time until another country song came up at a national selection. Like Stefan’s “Hope” (Estonia), Jakobsen sticks to many cliches, with a deep, twangy vocals and guitars with storytelling lyrics. The instruments oscillate from acoustic guitars to a more generic pop backing track. Not sure what that key change in the last minute is about though: it adds little to the song except a moment of confusion. Nonetheless, what surprised me was how warm and likeable this track is once you settle in (annoying whistling at the start aside). It moves along at a comfortable pace without much repetition, and the way Jakobsen appears to addresses the listener in the lyrics is like an appeal to arms. Or at least, to stand by his side.