Slovenia: Wiwi Jury reviews Tinkara Kovac with Spet/Round and Round

Last night the Wiwi Jury—our in-house panel of music unprofessionals—traveled to Ljubljana where we enjoyed a meal of cheeses, meats and elderberry meringa at Gostilna na Gradu, a fab restaurant serving Slovenian classics. Then we sat down to review Tinkara Kovach’s Eurovision 2014 song “Spet/Round and Round”. Did this song capture the dizzying power of love? Or did it just leave us feeling dizzy and a bit sick? Read on to find out…

Angus: If I was a cobra that had been confined in a sound-proofed pot for a decade this song might charm me into dancing and swaying enthusiastically. Unfortunately a cobra I am not and neither are most of the public. This isn’t charming: it’s dizzying. The song spins round and round and you just end up feeling nauseated. If I was into being entranced then I’d be into this but I’m not. Hopefully it’ll spin all the way out of the semi-final and Tinkara won’t get hit by the door on the way out.

Score: 4.5/10

Anthony: I knew it all along that EMA 2014’s super finalists would be Tinkara Kovach and Muff. So did our readers who predicted as much in our poll. I’m over the moon that Slovenia chose Tinkara this year. “Spet/Round and Round” is a modern ethnic entry. A bilingual entry, it mixes Slovenian and English wonderfully. And before y’all start making comparisons to “Only Teardrops”, Tinkara was playing the flute way before Emmelie de Forest was even born. She’s a professional flautist ya know! Bravo to Slovenian composer Raay, and last year’s Eurovision representative Hannah Mancini, for their fine efforts co-writing this entry. Good luck Slovenia!

Score: 8.5/10

Bogdan: I can’t review “Spet/Round And Round” without referring to Cheryl Cole’s “Parachute”. They are so similar that some Eurovision fans have called it plagiarism. Despite some similarities, Tinkara brings her flute and the Slovenian language to the table and owns this song. Unfortunately, it’s not a show-er but a grow-er and, at first listen, it’s a bit too soft for Eurovision. In a year full of serious contenders, it’s not threatening anyone and it doesn’t really ever lift off. I would be very surprised if Tinkara landed in the Grand Final.

Score: 4/10

Billy: Well, that’s slightly boring. I don’t like Slovenian mixed with English (just Slovenian would have been much better). And I think Tinkara’s stage presence and voice are both rather weak. The Asian sounds after the refrain detract from the entry.

Score: 5/10

Vebooboo: Tinkara reminds me of a wicked witch from a Disney fairytale. In the beginning of her stage performance, she tries to seduce me into eating an apple. Well, Tinkara, I ain’t Snow White, and I ain’t tempted. Your apple is rotten, and your song is bipolar, with several different rhythms slapped into three minutes. Now, this ain’t no Georgia, which is literally 4 songs in 1, but I at least hear two different ones here. When Tinkara takes to the stage in Copenhagen, I’m gonna turn round and round, wave my magic wand, and send her back to her enchanted forest.

Score: 4/10

Deban: Round and Round is a pop folklore song delivered in Slovenian and English. This bi-lingual format is often the perfect recipe for disaster, but, Tinkara blends the song beautifully. The duality of love and hate plays out in this lyrical composition, partly crafted by Eurovision veteran Hannah Mancini. This is Tinkara’s fourth stab at the EMAs, and the first time she’s advanced to the Eurovision Song Contest. She oozes confidence and sophistication, and commands the stage. If there’s any justice, this entry should do well.

Score 7.5/10

Katie: The flute introduction gives this song a unique edge, and I like that about it. The two languages work pretty well together too. This is a typical Hannah Mancini composition and you can really hear her influence seeping though, but who’s to say that’s a bad thing? It took me a few listens to get into it, but I really like it now. F.Y.I: It’s a lot more fun to listen to if you sing along to the “here we go-oh-oh-ohs”. I hope it does well at Eurovision and makes it through to the final, despite a lot of people having their doubts.

Score: 8/10

Padraig: This is a mediocre song with pretensions of greatness. The ethnic flute playing and English chorus offer the potential of some high stake musical drama, but sadly it never delivers. Scratch all that away and you’re not left with much. Although, I must say kudos to Tinkara for the image overhaul. In the EMA final she looked like she’d stumbled out of a charity store, but for her official promo performance she’s transformed into a gothic diva. If she could do a similar revamp to her delivery of “Spet” all may not be lost.

Score: 5/10

Francheska: Thank the dear Gods of Eurovision that we will have at least 2 Slavic languages this year! THANK. GOD.  Yet it lacks oomph. It’s a brownie without fudge, a birthday without some fun excursion to Fisherman’s Wharf, the midnight blue prom dress without those heels that you saw at Nordstroms: it’s nice, and pretty, but it lacks something. The flute’s quirky, but it doesn’t seem completely out of place (cough cough Moldova 2010). Best thing about the performance? The shoes. Worst thing? The skirt. GURL. FIX IT UP.  Notice how I didn’t mention anything about the song. It’s meh, but it’s not so meh that it’s boring. It’s… meh. But, given Mancini’s massacre of her song last year, this is a big improvement. Congrats, Slovenia, you went from a straight-Ds report card to a straight-Bs. Now get Maja Keuc back and let’s make it some A+’s.

Score: 5/10

Wiwi: I don’t know what my fellow jurors are smoking: This song is amazing. Tinkara brings some much-needed class and sophistication to the contest. The sound of her flute is haunting, and this song channels spirituality. Tinkara breathes soul and mystery into every single note. The lyrics trip off the tongue and carry more weight than most of the numbers we’re going to hear this year. “I’m going to show you how to breath/ I’m going to show you how to live/ I’m going to hold your heart in hand/ I’m going to make you understand.” Love is dizzying, y’all! All that said, it did take me a few listens to get into this.. I’m crossing my fingers for Tinkara anyway. You go girl!

Score: 7/10

All 19 members of our jury rate each song. However, we only have room to share 10 written reviews. Here are the remaining nine scores.

James L: 7/10

Mario: 8.5/10

Maxim Montana: 4/10

Mike: 7/10

Patrick: 8/10

Ramadan: 7/10

Sami: 4/10

Zach: 7.5/10

William C: 6.5/10

The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 4 and a high of 8.5.

The Wiwi Jury Verdict: 6.21/10

You can check out our latest Eurovision 2014 reviews and rankings on the Wiwi Jury page. You can keep up-to-date on the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following the team on Twitter @wiwibloggs and by liking our Facebook page.