The 2015 “Expert” Panel – SPAIN

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.

Spain’s last victory was in the 60’s!!!!! Edurne wants to change that with Amanacer. Can she do it? Here is what our Panel thinks:

Katja – The Schlager Queen
Well in words of Natalia Kills: “We have a doppelgänger in our midst!”. Spanish TV has put a massive priority to ESC this year, by hiring the composers of Loreen’s winning entry from Baku and by selecting a person with a potential of making some international headlines (Edurne is a girlfriend of a Manchester United player). But the end result is too Loreen-lite for me to love it. And comparisons to Loreen have hurt the chances of both Cascada and Tanja in the previous years. But I think there will be a massive performance, I’m a bit skeptical of Edurne’s live vocal abilities as this song has some passages, which are quite hard to sing. But I still hope the Spaniards do well.
Points: 6/10

Mike – The Smart One
Definitely the best Spanish song since Pastora Soler.  However, I was amused it was written by a Swede (the Swedes really do get ESC).  It is a bit of an earworm, especially the nonsense syllable refrain.  The lead singer’s breathiness works well there, especially when she crosses registers.  I also enjoyed her trilled double r in “susurró” and the Castilian “theta” in “corazon” and the title of the song. As a song only–and in the studio version–a hit that could win.  However Spain’s songs tend not to translate well to the stage in live performances.
Points: 9/10

Olivia – The Journalist
Phwoar. Spain are not messing around again this year. This one hell of a dark, potent, spine-tingling entry. Edurne’s voice just cuts right through on the refrain. What could have been a slow and banal entry has been transformed into an anthem, Game Of Thrones-like soundtrack, thanks to clever production, and electronic off beats. This could do very well. It’s dramatic and extremely memorable. A stand out track yet again by Spain! Will be shocked if this is not in the top ten.
Points: 9/10

Arie – The Professional Musician
This song is kind of pretty….all 4 repeated measures of it.  I will say that during the ending, the orchestrations really explore different variations of sound with it, but in the end it’s just feels like the same 4 bars over and over and over and over and over and over.  A shame because Eduren’s vocals are powerful and the texture of the piece is both beautiful and dramatic…all 4 bars worth.  Points:
Points: 6/10

Daniel – The Noob
I think it’s always a very difficult task to stand out of the mass by creating a unique song. Spain did it. Good job! This entry has it’s own style of music and that’s what makes it so special. When I was hearing this song, I saw a medieval setting in my mind. It reminded me of an old video game I was playing when I was eleven. I forgot the name of it, but “Amanecer” would have been a great theme song because it was about that typical knight who was supposed to kill a huge fires-pitting dragon. I really dig this entry and I’m sure the stage performance will be exciting.
Points: 7/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
I’m not a big fan of the Spanish entry this year. It’s clearly noticeable this song was solely made for the big Eurovision stage. I don’t see much appeal in the studio version as it sounds way too calculated and safe. The melody (especially in the chorus) isn’t even interesting in any way. The instrumentation is quite weak too – the drums that can be heard throughout the song work pretty well though.
Points: 2/10

Overall: 39 Points

Spain didn’t crack the 40 point mark, finishing with 39 points. What does this do to our ranking? Let’s find out.

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