Previously, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — reviewed six of Hungary’s A Dal finalists, with mixed results. The panel returns again, this time to scrutinise the offerings of Ádám Szabó, Gergo Oláh and Ív. Who impressed the jury, and which performance set a wiwibloggs record for the fastest time for a reviewer to dislike a song? Read on to find out!

Ádám Szabó – Give Me Your Love

Robyn: Ádám is at his best when he’s belting out the big, loud parts of the song. He’s less assured on the quieter moments, with his diction suffering and pitch wobbling. But it’s a great song with potential for an overall strong performance.

Score: 7/10

Renske: Although Ádám sings this in a strong and emotional way, this song isn’t strong and emotional. The “love-love-lo-ho-ve” doesn’t sound natural. This could be a grower, but then it must grow out of its shell.

Score: 7/10

Sopon: I often feel that male ballads are very sappy and corny and bogus. This is a small exception. He really does put some emotion into his song, but it still feels faked and bad.

Score: 2/10

Josh: This song has the potential to be great. Ádám needs to work on the annunciation of his English and work on projecting the quieter parts of the song. He sounds more comfortable when belting out the big parts of the song. Not a bad effort from Ádám, but definitely some work to do if he goes on to win.

Score: 6/10

Judit: Before the show, I didn’t even care about this song, but the live performance convinced me. Ádám has a strong voice, and a lot of experience from the X Factor. “Give Me Your Love” is a poison and it can stick in your head.

Score: 8/10

Patrick: Now this is a voice! Ádám is obviously a singer with power. TBH, when I listened it the first time I didn’t like it but now I can see this winning in Hungary. The chorus is damn strong and his vocals on it are breathtaking and, yes, I guess I have a new favourite now!

Score: 9/10

Sami: He has great voice, but the song is quite boring and there are so many songs like this sung by male performers in this year’s A Dal. I think it’s one of the favourites to win, but I wouldn’t want to see this is Vienna.

Score: 4/10

Wiwi Jury Average: 6.4/10

Gergo Olah – A tükör elott

Robyn: I’ve listened to this song three times in a row and each time I’ve never managed to remember it. It’s a big bold soul ballad and Gergo has an impressive voice, but the performance is just so forgettable.

Score: 5/10

Renske: The problem with national finals is sometimes that bad singers sing good songs and good singers have bad song. This song is an exact example of that last. Gergo has a perfect voice for ballads, but he sings a song that limits the power of his voice. That’s sad.

Score: 6/10

Sopon: Unlike Ádám’s song above, however, Gergô’s song does feel much more genuine. I’m not sure why, maybe because it’s in Hungarian and therefore void of clichés, but it clicks better with me and is more listenable.

Score: 7/10

Josh: This song is like eating plain pasta with a little bit of cheese sprinkled on top – not totally disgusting, but kind of bland. It’s reminiscent of… I don’t know… every other male RnB style ballad ever. I’m not gagging for more.

Score: 4/10

Judit: I just watched A Dal and didn’t understand the 41 points. Gergo is a talented singer but this song is sooo boring and I can’t remember anything from the tune or the lyrics. Next year I would like to ask a better jury.

Score: 2/10

Patrick: Yes, Gergo is a brilliant singer and he knows how to work with the Hungarian language! The problem is that the song is not memorable enough to do well in Eurovision let alone the international music market. He will do well in the next round because he’s good but is it really made for Vienna?

Score: 6/10

Sami: He’s looking great on stage and he sounds fine too, and the song is really one of my favourites. It’s great that it’s in Hungarian and if it wins, I hope they won’t change it to English.

Score: 8/10

Wiwi Jury Average: 5.6/10

ÍV – Fire

Robyn: Stylistically, “Fire” is strongly reminiscent of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”, only it’s not as good. Ív looks great, but she seems to have trouble controlling her voice. In the end, the most interesting parts of the performance were the spicy dancers and the blippy instrumental break – and that’s not a good sign.

Score: 4/10

Renske: The title is “Fire” but I don’t get any idea of what the song is about. The singing is annoying – it’s just not a good song. And if you name your song “Fire”, give a fiery performance, please!

Score: 3/10

Sopon: This was ByeAlex’s favorite for this heat, and knowing his non-mainstream taste, it’s pretty easy to see why. Only if you were doped up enough on whatever substance (legal or not) could you find the interpretive dancers and off-key voice passable entertainment.

Score: 1.5/10

Josh: Am I too judgemental if I dislike a song within the first 10 seconds? Sorry ’bout it, but that’s how I felt listening to “Fire”. The singer looks great on stage. However the dancers and staging overall looked really awkward and the singer sounds like she is constantly struggling. You think it’s hard singing that song, my dear? Try listening to it.

Score: 2/10

Judit: Good song, good singer, but the staging is horrible and I hate the gold dress. Ív sings like Gabi Szucs from the first show and it’s really annoying. This “Fire” just doesn’t work and no one will explode because of this performance.

Score: 5/10

Patrick: I just love this song but sadly not her nasal voice. “Fire” has potential for Eurovision as it is special and damn strong with great lyrics and a dramatic melody. All the drums and the techno sounds are just brilliant, but the wrong person sings the song. Ív is lovely to look at, but her voice is extraordinary and mostly in a bad way. PRACTISE, ÍV, and the way is paved!

Score: 7/10

Sami: I actually like her staging, but the song itself isn’t really extraordinary. She doesn’t sound very good in the live version. The instrumental part comes out of nowhere and there’s not really point for it.

Score: 3/10

Wiwi Jury Average: 3.4/10

SEE THE LATEST A DAL 2015 REVIEWS AND RANKINGS HERE.

Follow all of our Hungary Eurovision news here.

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D
D
9 years ago

You guys never like any of my favourite songs, Ív is my overall winner

l
l
9 years ago

Iv’s studio version is the best but i was very disappointed by the live
Adam szabo has really grown on me