The 2015 “Expert” Panel – ROMANIA

The ESC United “Expert” Panel is back once again reviewing all Eurovision songs and rank them accordingly.

You are probably asking yourself on how we pick our panel and the criteria. We looked at people from all walks of life to bring together a unique group of panelists with a wide range in taste. They all bring different skills and tastes to the table so who are they?

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Arie – The Professional Musician
Daniel – The Noob
Katja – The Schlager Queen
Mike – The Smart One
Olivia – The Journalist

You can read more about them HERE

Disclaimer: While we picked, what we perceived individuals with a wide range in taste, it is subjective to a certain degree so just enjoy their thoughts and if you don’t agree, feel free to post your comments below.

Romania is up next. This country always manages to qualify, However the last time they actually managed a Top 10 result was in 2010. Will that change this year? Let’s see what the panel has to say about Voltaj’s All Over Again

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
This is a really pretty entry. Even if the melody isn’t exactly innovative, the song manages to create both a melancholic and optimistic atmosphere – which blends nicely with the serious message of the entry (it’s about traumatised children whose parents left them to emigrate to other countries). I’m really glad Voltaj decided to sing two thirds of the song in Romanian after all – it would’ve lost all of its magic if performed in English only.
Points: 7/10

Olivia – The Journalist
Hmm… I like, yet loathe this entry. It’s just distinctly mediocre. Nothing great. Nothing bad. It’s a got the dynamism of The Script’s songwriting, yet the distinct genericism of Westlife. My highlight would probably be the ‘pan-whistle’ at the beginning- we’ve been missing it ever since Emmelie De Forest’s entry show cased its brilliance! Let’s be honest this year’s entry is certainly no Paula & Ovi – it lacks punch, and presence. If anything, it sounds like the 8th song on a 12 track album – a song which just fills the dead space. But, what the song does have is sentimentality and emotion. It explores the struggle of Romanians living in other parts of the world, to be accepted and treated equally. In that sense, it is touching, and you can feel the raw emotion in his voice. And I’m sure this will resonate with audiences on the night. But, in terms of originality, and musicianship, I’m afraid I’m going to have to give this a low score. But please prove me wrong.
Points: 5/10

Mike – The Smart One
I appreciated that the song was sung in Romanian, a language I understand at a very basic level. The lyrics were appreciated. However, this is one of Romania’s most boring songs ever. What is wrong with both Moldova and Romania this year? This song is so laid back as to almost fall on its backside. The lead singer works very hard to try to energize it, pulling out all of the stops in his attempt to deliver what, unfortunately, is undeliverable. The ennui I felt despite his heroic efforts was palpable enough so that I’ve already forgotten it.
Points: 6/10

Arie – The Professional Musician
Decent.  Not great.  Not bad.  It starts of rather melodic, but for some reason the melody becomes very separate, as if each note has it’s own word.  Losing this legato feeling makes the song lose any kind of singable melody line to me.  Also, not helping is the vocals of the lead singer who has a kind of bad pop idol teen sound to me:  both nasally and thin.  Unmemorable to me, which in some cases is worse than a bold, bad choice.
Points: 5/10

Daniel – The Noob
Actually this is one of the first artist I listened to that is singing in his mother tongue. That is not bad at all! The problem is that the message could get lost. Nevertheless for the artistic sake of the song, it is better to perform this song in Romanian. With that accent I can not take them serious. Even the switch to English went unnoticed. Without understanding one single word, this song touched my heart though because it is so emotional and touching.
Points: 7/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
Ooooh, yet another Romanian entry that I like! The singer of Voltaj reminds me a whole lot of Bert Heinrich Graf, the (soon-to-be-former) singer of German rock band Unheilig in appearance and this song is a bit Unheilig. But I like it! There’s an anthemic chorus, I like that the majority of the entry is in their native Romanian and I hope the juries and televoters are as convinced as I am. A lock in the Final and hopefully a good result awaits Romania there.
Points: 8/10

Overall: 38 Points

Nice score for Romania. They are currently in the Top 3 but we still have over 30 countries left to go so that may change.

1	Austria The Makemakes I Am Yours Points: 43

2	Denmark Anti-Social Media The Way You Are Points: 40
3	Romania Voltaj All Over Again Points: 38
4	Montenegro Knez Adio Points: 37

5	Belarus Uzari and Maimuna Time Points: 36 (8)
6	Russia Polina Gagarina A Million Voices Points: 36 (7)
7	Netherlands Trijntje Oosterhuis Walk Along Points: 34
8	Czech Republic Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta Hope Never Dies Points: 33
9	Moldova Eduard Romanyuta I Want Your Love Points: 26

Do you think that the panel got this right?!? Share your thoughts below and join the convo on our Forum. See yah soon!