The 2015 “Expert” Panel – BELARUS

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.

Who could forget last year’s memorable song title “Cheesecake”. This year the duo Uzari & Maimuna are trying their luck with the song “Time”. The panel just finished reviewing it, let’s see if it tickles their fancy.

Mike – The Smart One
A typical, average, Eurovision song.  The lead singer has an average voice that this song doesn’t stress too much.  Decently delivered.  Lyrics are average although the constant nonsense “ah ah” syllables became annoying as the song went on.  The refrain is catchy enough and might be enough for the song to qualify for the finals.  However, musically, the song’s only area of interest was the violin solo that acts as a segue to the final statement of the verse and refrain.  Beautifully played solo with an intriguing duple/triple contrast.  Pity the rest of the song is so average.
Points: 5/10

Arie – The Professional Musician
I wonder what Uzari’s voice really sounds like before the producer’s auto-tune the life out of it.  The only thing saving this song are the interesting solo violin riffs.  Other than that, it’s rhyming season with the typical  AABBB style of writing where we could possibly wait to hear a word NOT rhyme with the last word of the previous line.  Apart from that, the song is simply a beat (and not a very good one, if you ask me).  Didn’t I mention it’s repetitious?  Or that is does the same thing over and over?  Or that it never changes, but rather continues in the same fashion over and over and over?   You get the point..
Points: 4/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
Initially, being a Milki-fan, I rejected this. I thought it sounded messy. But now it properly grew on me. The chorus is catchy, the loop reminds me of Kylie’s Can’t get you out of my head and the violin bit just works. I know some parts of the Euro fan community have issues with Belarus in ESC, but I think they will stand out enough to qualify. And I hope for Milki to come back to Belarussian NF with something even more epic.
Points: 6/10

Olivia – The Journalist
Ah-ha yet another duo! But this is not your traditional set up – this is sparky mix of a charismatic pop singer, Uzari and a classically trained beauty, Maimuna. And together their musical wisdoms fuse together in a mystical, upbeat, addictive 3 minute pop song. The melodic hook ‘Time is like thunder’ has real staying power. And, it is a welcome departure from last year’s previous entry. This should score well in terms of musicality; the violin is dynamic and the solo, impressive. And with experience performing at Eurovision as a supporting vocalist in 2011, Uzari’s vocal abilities looks promising. This song has everything you need – it’s edgy, fresh and oh so catchy – plus the clapping interval will know doubt be a crowd pleaser. So in summary – a promising entry, but yet to be a favourite.
Points: 7/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
This is a good effort from Belarus. It’s not something I would usually listen to but the violin/singing combination works quite well for me here. I can also see this being very effective on the Eurovision stage. Sadly they didn’t do themselves any favours with the revamp of “Time”. The original song had much more oomph compared to the new, clearly watered down version. I do believe the revamp shows Maimuna’s violin skills to good advantage though
Points: 6/10

Daniel – The Noob
Just after a few tunes into it, this entry made my skin crawl. Uzari has a stunning voice which unfortunately gets lost in the chorus. This is one of the few songs where I like the verses better than the chorus. That does not mean I do not like the chorus. It is still good but could have been better. Anyway, I am a huge fan of violinists because I think they usually improve songs and make them more outstanding. So it is a very good idea to add a violin to an entry.
Points: 8/10

Overall: 36 Points

So Belarus ties with Russia with both receiving 36 points. Now we look who received a higher ranking. Belarus’ best score is an eight from Daniel while Russia received seven from five out of six panelists. That means Belarus wins the tiebreaker.

1	Austria The Makemakes I Am Yours Points: 43

2	Denmark Anti-Social Media The Way You Are Points: 40
3	Montenegro Knez Adio Points: 37

4	Belarus Uzari and Maimuna Time Points: 36 (8)
5	Russia Polina Gagarina A Million Voices Points: 36 (7)
6	Netherlands Trijntje Oosterhuis Walk Along Points: 34
7	Czech Republic Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta Hope Never Dies Points: 33
8	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!