The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to rate and review the 41 competing entries of Eurovision 2019. Next we take a look at Latvia‘s Carousel and their song “That Night”. Do we think 18 May will be that night for Latvia? Read on to find out!

Carousel – “That Night”

“That Night” reviews

Barnabas: It’s still hard to believe, but yes, smooth jazz is back at Eurovision! And if Raphael Gualazzi’s “Madness of Love” was an infectious track packed with piano virtuosity and a sassy brass section, now it’s time for the acoustic guitar and the contrabass to take over. Sabine’s soft and silky vocals fit perfectly with the climax of the song. Even if some people will find the chorus a bit repetitive, “That Night” is my perfect chill-out song this year. And finally, another link to Raphael — I can totally see juries loving this as they did love Italy in 2011. Well done, Latvia!

Score: 9/10

Chris: Another Latvian entry that’s slightly off the beaten track; “That Night” at least sounds different to practically everything else in the field. But despite that, it struggles desperately to stand out — and it’s remarkably easy to forget. The staging at Supernova at least offered some kind of vision for the song, but it’s going to take a lot more than a letterbox format to get this through the semi-finals.

Score: 5/10

Lucy: “That Night” excels in its simplicity, and there isn’t much like it this year in the competition. I just feel like the repetition in the chorus isn’t enough to stick in the average viewer’s mind, and I definitely don’t think it’s enough to make someone choose this over more interesting songs in its semi. Those who like a more minimalist take may veer more towards Austria in the same half of the same semi, but time will tell.

Score: 6/10

Luis: Simplicity is mostly welcomed, but when it’s paired with repetition ad nauseam, it gets boring. And that’s the main problem with “That Night” — it’s a very linear entry with very little or no progression at all. Carousel brings a silky and smooth voice, and a nice country pop subtone, but that would be it. It’s bound to pass totally unnoticed at Eurovision, sadly.

Score: 5.5/10

Renske: The acoustic guitars and the slow melody make me go “yaaas” actually. This gives some proper First Aid Kit vibes. It’s perhaps not the strongest song of the bunch, neither is it the most memorable one, but Carousel can definitely make a moment and stop the motion of the second half of the second semi-final. Less is more and they are in to prove that with a respectable entry.

Score: 6.5/10

Tobias: This is a tough one. As much as I can see the beauty with this song, I do feel like the Eurovision stage is not where it belongs. To make a song stand out, it’s all about choosing the right forum and this is not the right forum for this kind of song. The spectacle of Eurovision will make this song come out as boring compared to the others. That’s is a shame because there is an audience who will appreciate a song like this but it is not the Eurovision crowd. This is a song I would play on a grey rainy day while snuggled in front of the fireplace.

Score: 4.5/10

In the Wiwi Jury we have 29 jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are below:

Angus: 7/10

Anthony: 5.5/10

Antony: 4/10

Antranig: 4/10

Bernardo: 5.5/10

Calvin: 4.5/10

Deban: 3/10

Essi: 4.5/10

Florian: 5.5/10

Izhar: 3.5/10

Jack: 7.5/10

Jonathan: 5/10

Josh: 8/10

Julian: 7.5/10

Kristin: 8.5/10

Lukas: 5/10

Mikhail: 6/10

Oliver: 7.5/10

Pablo: 1/10

Robyn: 6/10

Ron: 5/10

Sebastian: 3/10

William: 5/10

We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 1 and a high of 9.

Wiwi Jury verdict: 5.5/10

What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!

See all our Eurovision 2019 reviews and rankings

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MarioVision
MarioVision
4 years ago

Ok, the song is not bad at all.
But I find it pretty dull.It doesn’t stand out at all.
I really don’t think that Latvia will gonna qualify from the SF…
My grade : 4,5/10

Marcelo
Marcelo
4 years ago

#LAT Look I can apreciate minimalism. I do in most of the songs I listen because you can do a lot with just a little. Sometimes more is less, as some may say. And don’t get me wrong “That Night” does come up as cute, totally. But that’s all it has and the minimal approach won’t change that, sadly. This song is possibly even more inoffensive than Ireland and that’s really saying something. We all know Latvia didn’t have that much of a choice to begin with, and Carousel’s effort is definitely appreciated (after all the song is cute) but… Read more »

Héctor
Héctor
4 years ago

As much as I love atmospheric songs this one makes me go a bit sleepy. It gets boring after the first minute. The camera work really helps to create the atmosphere and lifts up the song though. I could enjoy this song live while chilling with a cocktail, but overall I don’t think it is competitive enough. Slovenia is winning this battle.

Latvia is in my 24th place.

13. Armenia (7)
24. LATVIA (6)
32. Poland (5.75)

Phary
Phary
4 years ago

This starts with great ideas. The first verse and chorus are very promising and create a really nice smooth mood that I really like. But the song seems to drag on a lot after that… I don’t ask for a huge climax but I would’ve liked little elements that would’ve kept my attention through the song. Instead it doesn’t really progress and that is very visible in the fact that it ends with 4 choruses back to back, with a bridge consisting of the word “love” repeated twice… It’s a 5.5/10 for me.

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

Could’ve been so much more but the repetition ruins it. Still quite nice though.
6.5/10

Juan Cena
Juan Cena
4 years ago

I’d give it a 6. Carousel managed not to crash and burn like the favorites going in Did in the final (Samanta Tina totally blew it with staging). “That Night” has a retro Lilith Fair quality that is pleasant to listen to, but probably not make a big splash in the semi.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago

Presentation counts a lot and this entry shows what the right staging can do for you. Creative staging many times is used to hide songs and artists’ weaknesses, but this does the opposite: sets the piano bar mood and highlights its jazzy qualities. When I listen to the studio version, I barely pay attention. When I watch the gorgeous performance, everything feels cozy. The camera work is just amazing. But the song is too restrained and linear, so it tends to be more respected than loved and voted. 6.25/10

Colin
Colin
4 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

I agree, the performance is top notch. Even in the audition process, Carousel were one of the rare acts whose staging and attitude on stage looked genuinely professional. They knew where to look and how to act from moment one. That said, their song is way too repetitive and monotone to have me invested. Still, a respectable performance indeed.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Basically, we see the same things, the difference is that it gets me a little more invested than you. Anyway, I always dig when we have something like this in the lineup. It adds sophistication and possibly will incentive less mainstream acts to try their luck in Supernova.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

The same happened to my Poland review, but the moderators liberated it after a while. I hope the same will apply to yours. I really wanted to love it, Tibor. But it doesn’t take my feet off the ground, you know?

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago

hmm it just kinda goes nowhere. cute but without charm.

Veta
Veta
4 years ago

10/10
That “eurovision stage is not where the song belongs” is a totally cr_p attitude and needs to stop existing.
Eurovision should change everytime and be more diverse in the terms of genres, and the countries who do something to work on this change deserve all the respect.

Rimig
Rimig
4 years ago
Reply to  Veta

“Different” and “good” are not synonyms. If they were I would win next year’s ESC with 3 minutes of belching.
I fully respect that you and others like this entry. One of the wonderful things of music is that every song can appeal to someone. But can I also express my opinion, please? Thanks!

Nvm
Nvm
4 years ago
Reply to  Veta

“Eurovision” and “diversity” can’t stay in the same sentence, at least not when related to the musical side of the contest. Just look at how many “x sounds so much like that year’s y” kinda comments we read every year… It’s all about *bops”, “kweens” and power ballads. We don’t even have a proper rock/metal entry this year, the bare minimum… But they come at you like rabid dogs if you say half the songs sound the same, heeeh

Veta
Veta
4 years ago
Reply to  Nvm

It’s only up to participating countries themselves to change this pattern by sending more and more of diverse genres, no one else.

Juan Cena
Juan Cena
4 years ago
Reply to  Veta

Agreed. Too many Balkan Ballads ™ and over the top vocal performances can get tedious.

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
4 years ago

I love this entries bar the lo o o o ve part that is (quite sadly) repeated throughout the song. Flawless vocally and really smooth, I can see this entry in the final if the audience is feeling it on the night, and they do have a great spot between the louder Switzerland and Romania, meaning that the lovers of this entry are going to see this song, but the rest aren’t. All in all, it’s a 6/10 for me. (Bring back Aminata tho!)

Idksmth
Idksmth
4 years ago

Her last two attempts as a songwriter at Supernova haven’t been good, tho

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

Have you been listening to Aminata’s recent songs? She’s totally lost her mojo.

ESC LOU
ESC LOU
4 years ago

I actually quite like this song, on the night of Latvia’s final I think it was the best song. However I am not sure if this is a qualifier it’s just ok like there’s nothing REALLY special about it therefore i’d give That Night a 5.5/10

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
4 years ago

LOVE Lithuania 2007.
This, not so much.

Joe
Joe
4 years ago

Such a pretty little song and a pleasant surprise from an otherwise underwhelming NF. I don’t know how it’ll do, but it’s simple and beautiful in the best kind of way. Floats along romantically and wistfully.

8.5/10 (They really carou-sell this song)

Jarkko
Jarkko
4 years ago

I actually like the song, in this case it doesn’t really bother me if it doesn’t develop that much. Makes me think of Kylie Minogue/Nick Cave somehow.

Kosey
Kosey
4 years ago

I really enjoy this. Really chilled out and she sings it really nicely. It isn’t my winner but I would like to see it in the final. I think it has nice vibe which would fit into an enjoyable evening.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
4 years ago

It is alright for about one minute but it literally does not change. It shouldn’t have been three minutes long if they weren’t going to do anything with it. Totally skippable.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
4 years ago
Reply to  Briekimchi

I’m afraid I must agree with you. It tries to use the same playbook that Nathan Trent (Austria 2017) used, but it it too monotonous to be the kind of feel-good song that Nathan brought back then.

Kris
Kris
4 years ago

Starts out nice , ends out sounding so freaking repetitive . I absolutely think this one should have been replaced by the LTV team. 4/10 Sandwiched between two higher impact songs reduces a point , lack of diaspora reduces another point. So I’d assess for it to have 20% chance of qualification

Poet
Poet
4 years ago

It’s not a winner this year. But… Latvia has chosen another stand out entry of a quality music item.

Feeling the Eurovision final (unexpected for many) for this song.

Rimig
Rimig
4 years ago

As many others have already pointed out, more is not always better, but neither is less. The Latvian entry is just too simple and repetitive to make any impact. The only thing I can remember of it half an hour after listening to it is the singer’s pronounciation issues (all I can hear constantly is “lo-o-o-o-ow, where are you?”). It’s a song that I might want to listen to if played live in a cozy restaurant, without paying too much attention to it, but if I have to concentrate on it, it ends up annoying me. I would be very… Read more »

Lisianthus
Lisianthus
4 years ago

I love the first half of this song. The second half is too repetitive. They should add a third verse. 7/10
(and this and Limits are two totally different songs. I absolutely hate Limits)

Atari 2600
Atari 2600
4 years ago

Damn this song is underrated af. Eurofans only want Fuego wannabes anyway!

Colin
Colin
4 years ago

LATVIA – There is a fine line between being subtle and being boring and I’m afraid that Latvia falls into the latter category. Even minimalist songs need to have some hook to pull you in. This one struggles a lot. It starts nicely and it’s quite pleasant. Sabine’s lovely vocals and top notch staging transport you to gentle night filled with nostalgia. But the song doesn’t progress at all from that point on. It remains on the loop, repeating the same phrase over and over. The instrumental also keeps on plodding till the very end. Sure, it’s never terrible to… Read more »

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Thanks Colin. Same opinion here.

Skiwalko
Skiwalko
4 years ago

I know I’m in the minority here, but I absolutely adore this entry. “That Night” is just hypnotising – simple, sincere, modest, but at the same time nostalgic, gripping, ethereal, it just sends me into trance, that I don’t want to stop. A beautiful moment kept alive, song that is meant to be felt, not understood. Chance is slim, but I hope from the bottom of my heart that Latvia will get to the final this year.
10/10

Nicky91
Nicky91
4 years ago

i get Katie Melua vibes from this song, i love it personally

but it isn’t strong enough, for the tough semi 2 sadly

my score is a 7.0/10

Erasmus
Erasmus
4 years ago

I do like the song, but I think it just goes nowhere, and I’m not saying every song should have a high note or key change, but for example Belgium 2017 and Slovenia 2019 didn’t get boring, but this does. I think it won’t qualify, but it’s still miles better than Croatia’s, Georgia’s and Israel’s entry for example. It’s a quality song though.

I give it a 4,5/10.

Erasmus
Erasmus
4 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

My top so far:
9 – Armenia
7,5 – Poland
6,5 – Ireland
6 – Serbia
4,5 – Latvia

Matthew
Matthew
4 years ago

I love the chorus to this song, but the song never holds onto it’s magic, and it’s also incredibly difficult to stage effectively, which I think they’ll struggle with in Tel-Aviv. Right now they are one of the least popular entries among Euro-fans so they need to change things from their national final staging for sure.

NickC
NickC
4 years ago

This will be the shock qualifier from semi 2, Mark my words! It is so underrated, but it has its loyal fans, who appreciate the mood it creates plus the exceptional vocals.

Kris
Kris
4 years ago
Reply to  NickC

It’s not going to qualify , even with a huge jury push . It’s too repetitive.