Wiwi Jury Georgia Edition: Misha Sulukhia with “One&Only”

Georgia’s national selection for Eurovision 2015 takes place on January 14, but voters in the country are already voting. Sadly we don’t have a Georgian passport or mobile phone, but we do have opinions on each of the five competing songs. So over the next week the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals — will review each of the five acts. We’re honest and uncensored, and we promise this hurts us more than it hurts you. In any event, the first artist to face the panel is Misha Sulukhia with his song “One&Only”. And yes: that is how the title is written!

Reviews of Misha Sulukhia’s “One&Only”

Angus: A hybrid of 2013’s ‘Waterfall’ and 2010’s ‘Shine’, this combines the high drama of both with competent vocals and stirring percussion. The falsetto section jeopardises all of that because it lacks control. That lack of control torpedoed Haral Skaat back in 2010 and is the undoing of an otherwise promising entry. Sad face. 🙁

Score: 4.5/10

Deban: The lingering falsetto is what’s most memorable about this track. Totally Darren Hayes in style and delivery, but the poor enunciation lets it down. Misha is a drama queen, and he’s not afraid to show it. That’s admirable!

Score: 5.5/10

Francheska: I like my ballads in two flavors: overly dramatic, and simple. And this does an excellent job at the simple variety. Misha relies on his voice instead of badly concocted instrumentals, and I tip my hat to him. However, I recommend that he invest in some better audio equipment: it will surely be his downfall.

Score: 7/10

Liam: Eurovision has had its share of men singing ballads, from Farid Mammadov to Dima Bilan, so this is nothing new. The one word that comes to mind when listening to this song is “generic.” Also: What is that scream at 2 minutes?

Score: 3/10

Patrick: Is it really made for Eurovision? I’m not so sure. The beginning is really nice and his voice fits into the melody really well! I can’t figure out when the chorus actually begins: in most parts he just screams a lot. And let’s just avoid talking about his high notes… All in all, a nice song with a lot of bad edges and voice problems!

Score: 4/10

Ramadan: Misha has a good voice, however the poor enunciation lets it down. He should have sung in his native Georgian. If he does go to Vienna, he’ll definitely need a miracle on his English pronunciation. I find the song dated and a little generic.

Score: 3/10

Renske: At the beginning it sounded promising, but after a while it left me disappointed. It wasn’t entirety together. The melody, his voice and the lyrics were totally different from each. This made it sound a bit unprofessional.

Score: 4/10

Robyn: Every year there’s a song that takes inspiration from the previous year’s winner…but soundalikes never win. “One and Only” owes a creative debt to “Rise Like a Phoenix”, with its Bond-theme dramatics, but it’s nowhere near as good and Misha ain’t no Conchita.

Score: 4/10

Sami: I like the song, but it really needs a better singer. I like the drama and I like how it grows towards the end. But I am sure I have heard better ballads over the years of Eurovision. The song is also missing a hook, which makes it really forgettable.

Score: 4/10

Sopon: Very unimpressed. It’s a standard flimsy guy ballad bound to place last. There is no substance, no padding, no nothing. Misha, you are not Farid 2.0. And I don’t see why you would want to be.

Score: 1/10

William: The generous part of me wants to call this vintage, but the realistic part of me just thinks it’s dated. I think Misha has a strong voice — just listen to how he works that falsetto! Unfortunately, he needs to work on his English pronunciation and enunciation. I don’t know if he’s saying fight or fire, he turns “hopeless” into a rather drawn out “hope-uh-luss,” and I think he wants me to “feel the moment of the lime.” Not into citrus…or this. But I’d love to hear him sing in Georgian!

Score: 3/10 

Wiwi Jury Average: 3.91/10

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