Wiwi Jury: Malta’s Jessika, Raquel, Lawrence Gray & Danica Muscat!

Our group of music unprofessionals we know as the Wiwi Jury are still going on their trip around the island nation of Malta! This time, they’ve descended upon the village of Rabat and had a look around the historic St. Paul’s Catacombs. But some sight-seeing hasn’t stopped them from giving their opinions on the next four acts that will be taking part in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2015: Jessika, Lawrence Gray, Raquel and Danica Muscat. Are any of them winners in the making? Read on and see what we thought…

Please be aware that due to the smaller number of jurors, the highest and lowest scores have been included in the average scores, unlike other Wiwi Juries.

Lawrence Gray – The One That You Love

Sami: When I listened the songs for the first time, I really liked this song. Then after few listens I got really bored of it. He is great singer and there’s real emotion in his voice, but the song is quite forgottable. I think it could do very well with the juries in Eurovision and maybe it could get some votes from the public too – but only if they hear it only once. 6/10

Deban: The camera angles on this entry are unkind. Lawrence Gray looks so short,  and that’s in addition to being a spitting image of Dollar’s David Van Day! The song is over-dramatised to the point it reads as comedy. 4/10

Anthony: Vocal-wise, I can see Lawrence Gray getting jury points at Eurovision. Song-wise, it’s a hit-and-miss. It’s going to take some convincing if Malta are to do well with this entry. 5/10

Patrick: Lawrence Gray is a great singer, a caring father and a great person! The song is quite nice, some really touching moments are in it and it fits him perfect! To be honest I have my doubts that he will represent Malta, although it would be really nice to meet him in person! Good luck! 6.5/10

Chris: There is nothing drastically wrong with “The One That You Love”, but there’s also not a huge deal right with that. Lawrence is a completely competent singer but he is never challenged by a dreadfully dull song that also manages to be lyrically overwrought. It’s just a non-event from start to finish, really. 4.5/10

Wiwi Jury Score: 4.9/10

Raquel – Stop Haunting Me

Sami: This is definitely a grower. Raquel has beautiful voice and she is really telling the story through the song. Her accent is bit like Lena’s, but find it more cute. The song is hypnotic and it makes you want to listen it over and over again. I think it could do very well in Eurovision, but I’m afraid it doesn’t get enough points to get there. 9/10

Chris: I know that a lot of people have compared Raquel to the likes of Lily Allen, but I think that “Stop Haunting Me” actually sounds a lot more like a song you’d associate with someone like Lights. It’s quirky and a strong song though and I can’t help but like this one. 7.5/10

Anthony: Raquel’s peculiar vocals makes “Stop Haunting Me” sound like a cross between Dido and Lily Allen. And while she demonstrates it wonderfully, there’s still a lack of wow factor. Not forgetting there’s stiff competition for Raquel. 6/10

Deban: Breathy and modern, this fresh take on “Lily Allen” is a refreshing radio-savvy number.  I wish songwriters stop padding their songs with “oh oh oh..”. It gets tiresome! 5/10

Patrick: Probably the girl with the most special voice and accent in the competition! I really like her voice and the song is truly stunning! Last year she already was on the stage with some weak vocals, so I really hope she improved her voice! This song is just great and could really do well in Eurovision! 8.5/10

Wiwi Jury Score: 7.2/10

Danica Muscat – Close Your Eyes

Deban: This composition issues a daring command, “Close Your Eyes”. I tried doing so, and I fell asleep. Boring! 4.5/10

Anthony: Being a sweet, gentle ballad, this is a song I could imagine Danica singing to her son. Sadly, this is bound to fall flat with the televoters as they’ll see it as a close their eyes snoozefest. 3.5/10

Patrick: This is so beautiful! The fact that she sings about her child is so touching that I really adore this song. Danica is a really nice person and her voice is simply great so I have no doubts that she will ruin it with weak vocals! Malta will love it and I love it a bit aswell! Sweet, just sweet! 8.5/10

Chris: Much like Lawrence, this is another “non-event”; there’s nothing memorable about it and it barely goes anywhere for the three minutes that it’s on. Danica can show off her voice a bit more but that’s really all that’s keeping this one afloat. 5/10

Sami: I don’t think the song will stand out from all of the ballads in the contest. It grows nicely, but not enough. Danica is very sweet and has a beautiful voice, but the song just makes me want to close my eyes and take a nap. 3/10

Wiwi Jury Score: 4.9/10

Jessika – Fandango

Anthony: “Hypnotica” was my personal favourite from last year’s national final. “Fandango” hasn’t quite made the same impact for me and although it’s a catchy song, there’s a slight hint of cheesiness to it. I fear this might struggle with the juries. 7.5/10

Patrick: One of mmy favourites! Jessika is a really bubbly, sweet person + she has a good voice and a good song! Thats the perfect package for Eurovision! Jessika was robbed last year cause of the voting system of Malta but anyways this year she is back with a great song and my fingers are crossed! 8.5/10

Sami: “Hypnotica” wasn’t my favourite from all the entries from this year’s selection, but it would have been much better choice for Malta. “Fandango” on the other hand is magical. It starts with this incredibly catchy intro and when the beat starts, it really gets you hooked. With a great performance and live vocals, this could do very well in Eurovision. 10/10

Deban: Jessika is contemporary take on Vanessa Paradis and her slightly breathy vocals aren’t too far off. However, this burst of ugly pink is too distracting, and when she hits the bridge, she loses me with the break beats. 4/10

Chris: This is such a confusing song. I feel like I should like it – I should want to get up and dance to it – but…it just leaves me feeling empty. The lyrics seem thrown together and the dubstep-esque breakdown is really unnecessary and quite poor. Not a fan. 5.5/10

Wiwi Jury Score: 7.1/10

YOU CAN VIEW ALL OUR MALTA REVIEWS HERE.