Malta MALTA 2018 - Christabelle - Taboo

[ZoboCamel]

Re: MALTA 2018

That was a touching moment and very heartwarming to see. "Taboo" was my second favourite after the performances, and it's lovely to see an NF regular finally rewarded. The song is decent. It's the staging that really lifts it and whether they bring a strong performance to Lisbon or not will prove key here. I think it honestly got her the win tonight, as the way it looked visually was such a standout in this selection.

I am sad for Richard & Joe. I know Richard already had a successful go at Eurovision, but I think his song this evening was charming enough to take him back. And yes, i'm devastated that I won't be able to join [MENTION=6762]DanielLuis[/MENTION] in a Richard Edward sightseeing tour


"Taboo" is the second song I find at least enjoyable that's been picked so far this year. Hmmmmm ranking is hard.......... i'll say a kind 7 points is what i'll give it for now. It could go up or down, but at least this isn't a song I can see myself actually disliking ever. I don't love it. It might have been an Amber moment in the voting tonight for Christabelle but I can't hype it like I did "Warrior". This pick did make a lot of sense though as it delivered a lot in comparison to the other performances, and none of the other songs stood out enough to take a gamble on picking them and then improving the staging. "Taboo" is decent and the package is quite strong already, but will it be strong enough for Eurovision? I honestly don't know.

I was going to write a long-ish review of the song myself, but I think you've pretty much said it all for me: decent song, strong staging, will need further improvements to succeed at Lisbon. 7 points.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

Decent song and good performance so not a bad selection, 6 points for Malta

 

[marty]

boring song., i am not sure if malta can make it to the final. 2 points.

 

[Matt]

Well, that did not go according to my plan, I actually dislike this song, the first one of the Eurovision season. I'm puzzled to hear what people are hearing in this one, it's painful to listen to. Man, I was so ready to root for Malta this year, there were five songs that I would have been okay with...oh well, can't have it all. Not sure how many points I should give this one..I guess two is fair, only thanks to the Staging which is isn't original but at least entertaining.

 

[Ezio]

Bad.

 

[SaladBreak]

I gave it 7 points, mostly for the staging.

 

[anto475]

It feels very amateur and weak, I don't think Malta will do well with this. It's just not the kind of song that can be performed live under the Eurovision's rules and, even if those rules weren't in place, it's still a very ok song. The staging is interesting, however it was very difficult to see her behind the screen. Maybe that's just the quality of the video or the Maltese camera or something but if she ends up looking like a reflection on a TV then there's no hope for this.

 

[joao]

Am I the only one actually loving this song? I gave it a 10 and it goes straight to my top right next to France.

Jus tone thing TVM: do we really need FOUR advertisings in the middle of an act? GOD!

 

[Schlagerman1]

No, the song was not among my faves when I listened through the NF a few weeks ago...but looking at the live performance, I must say that I am positively surprised. Still, the song needs a little work to get a higher placement in Semi 2 I think, but the performance is strong, makes an impact, really lift up the message of women and mental illness. Overall, not a bad choice from Malta, actually the best IMO since 2014. Still can't put it better than 4th at highest in my ranking so far(fighting with Spain for that spot at the moment).

 

[henhu]

I've listened it 4 times today and I remember nothing about it... not a single thing. Does it even have chorus?
I would be surprised if it gets better televoting score than Claudia whose song was more memorable.

 

[lavieenrose]

So I had internet problems during her performance, was afk for the reprise, and couldn't remember any of my preshow thoughts (no T no shade - I remembered the ones I didn't like, too), hence my delay in sharing thoughts. I enjoy it. Not jumping out of my chair, but it's pretty solid. Two big demerits in my mind:
1) that distorted synth thing in the verse. I don't know when that went from "this needs not to be a trend" to "this is really played out and needs to go away," but I think we're there.
2) the lyrics. Uff da they're bad. Would like a translation to Maltese not only because it's a cool language but so that I could ignore them.
Still, quite a bit to like. I'll give it a 7.

 

[ZoboCamel]

I would be surprised if it gets better televoting score than Claudia whose song was more memorable.

Given that Claudia got literally zero points from the televote, I'm, uh... pretty sure Christabelle's going to improve on that.

 

[DaFlo]

There was no song I truly cared about in this NF. If I ask myself if I would put Taboo on any of my playlist then simple answer is "No" unfortunately.
It stood out in this lineup, but in the bloodbath that's gonna be semi 2 it will have a hard time.

4 pts ^^

 

[SwissKung]

Not a bad choice from Malta looking at the performance, it was very solid and and I was captivated by the whole thing. When it comes to the song though I have mixed feelings, the verses and chorus are decent but that dubstep bridge is the worst thing I've heard so far in this NF season.

5 points for now

 

[Fierro]

This song is enjoyable but I have constant feeling of secondary/reused material when listening to this. Give it 7 points in advance. I think good staging can bring this entry to final if the semi won't be very strong.

 

[GlamSIMorous]

I am sooo happy. I love Christabelle and she deserved it. She feels that song even though I find it quite hard to understand as a listener. With a few tweaks and changes, this could make an impact in Lisbon. Christabelle is a great performer and she sells herself and every song veryyy well. Definitely better than Claudia. The staging was quite effective yesterday evening, but tbh a little too much for me, it just looked unprofessional to a certain point, but obviously that might change.

I gave it a 8, because it has been one of my favourites and I am hyped she won, but I might elevate it if there is a good revamp to come. So far I am extremely happy!

 

[Sammy]

These lyrics are a mess....

 

[SpZ]

Lame song with a decent, but all over the place performance. Hopefully will stay in the semi.

 

[revallsay]

This sounds like 35-25 place in my personal ranking when we have all the songs. Nothing out of the oridinary. 3 points?

 

[i anixi]

This looks like a really angry and committed young lady who's determined to pass her message on. One can feel it is very important to her. I wonder what it is though as I couldn't make out anything of what she was singing about. Aren't we all animals already and always have been? What is the poor creature afraid of? Well, I hope winning has brought her some peace of mind regarding whatever inconvenience was troubling her