Wiwi Jury: Hungary’s Passed, Vera Tóth and Timi Antal

In our previous A Dal post the Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — shared our opinions about Bogi, Karmapolis and Gabi Szucs. Now, it’s time to assess the other three songs which qualified last Saturday. Passed got the highest points from the Hungarian jury, while Vera Tóth came second and Timi Antal won the heart of the audience. As always, our team has something to say about all of them — and we aren’t affraid to share it.

Passed – Mesmerize

Robyn: I love this song so much but I don’t think it’s a good ESC choice. It’s deliciously moody, with cool beats and it sounds like something from 2015. The trouble is the instrumental breaks. The A Dal cameras and staging handled the first break well, but the instrumental finish comes as a huge anticlimax – something that would be really awkward in Vienna.

Score: 7/10

Sami: What were the jurors on when they gave this song the highest points? Her voice is so annoying, the song is actually super boring and the harp is really the only interesting thing in it. They look very awkward on the stage during the instrumental parts.

Score: 2/10

Sopon: First of all, has this girl never heard of vocal lessons? She’s singing in an entirely different register than the song and it’s messing with my head worse than any Ukrainian Eurovision performance ever could. Second, this is a bit too avant-garde for me. No, thanks.

Score: 1.5/10

Renske: This sounds like a song written for Lorde, which she later refused. Then the composers went to Hungary to search for a singer, a DJ and someone who could play harp, and it worked out. Sadly it’s a bit too random for a good place at Eurovision. I still don’t get the electronic jumping part…

Score: 4/10

Patrick: I still can’t accept that this qualified from the first heat… I mean okay it’s special and whatever but first? Really? Her English pronunciation is weird and the melody is so dull. And from one second to another they explode and dance on stage without any explanation. Uh ah ehm no.

Score: 0/10

Judit: Passed is something new right now in Hungary. They’re young, use the harp in pop music and the whole song sounds special. But… and yes I have a big BUT… they can’t win, and I can’t believe the jury gave them the highest points. Her vocal isn’t strong, the dance parts are awkward. There are many adjectives to describe this. Compelling, perfect and comprehensible are not among them.

Score: 5/10

Wiwi Jury Average: 3.25/10

Vera Tóth – Gyémánt

Robyn: There’s a bit of a saucy James Bond feeling, and loads of drama which Vera delivers with skill. It’s also a song that sounds great sung in Hungarian. While it’s not the most original sound, I love the overall performance. So much drama!

Score: 8/10

Sami: Hungarian sounds so magical and the whole song could be from a horror film. It looks great on stage and her voice is great. It could do really well in Eurovision, too.

Score: 7/10

Sopon: If there hasn’t been an Adele comparison made yet, let me kick it off. She looks and sounds just like the reclusive British songstress, and that’s nothing but a positive thing. The song is so sophisticated and I want to love it, but it’s as if she doesn’t connect with the song or channel her emotions as she sings. She’s the best karaoke singer in the world, but her performance feels less than genuine. If you can’t connect to the song, hun, we can’t either.

Score: 6/10

Renske: While I am listeinng to this one, I wonder what the staging in Vienna would look like if this one wins. Vera has a good natural voice, but it needs some help. It is good, but it doesn’t make me want to vote.

Score: 7.5/10

Patrick: Oh yes, if someone deserves to get through then it’s Vera! This is a Hungarian dream where I can see the horses of the Puszta, people dancing, a blue wide open sky and a big “Gyemant”…Vera is amazing – her voice is so strong and she knows how to channel emotions! This is a dream really!

Score: 10/10

Judit: Her vocals are the best, but this song is nothing more than a copy of anything from a James Bond soundtrack or even “Rise Like A Phoenix”. She’s a diamond, but the song isn’t.

Score: 7/10

Wiwi Jury Average: 7.58/10

Timi Antal – Woke Up This Way

Robyn: A Dal puts lots of effort into staging, and indeed the staging of this song is bold and impressive, including double drummers and a Timi lookalike. The song doesn’t quite live up to the staging, though, sounding like a rejected P!nk album track. But despite this, Timi channels the showmanship of P!nk and delivers a stellar performance.

Score: 7/10

Sami: I don’t really get the hype around this song. It’s not anything special. It’s something you would hear from any American “rock” chick. She doesn’t sound that good either. The live performance is also quite bland.

Score: 3/10

Sopon: The energy in this performance is over-the-top. She wants to let you know she doesn’t care what you think, and she does that perfectly. One of the backing singers is bringing down the song by being really off-key, but let’s excuse that. Gurl, you werk that stage just fine and you ain’t letting down your performance. Let’s go Team Timi!

Score: 9.5/10

Renske: When I saw her red hair I thought this was going to be something sassy. I was right. She kicks it from the very first note. Of all the entries we’ve reviewed so far this one is the most powerful.

Score:  9/10

Patrick: It could be a great and stunning song without the bad vocals and the screaming. I like the sound, the rythmn and the lyrics. Her voice is the only thing that doesn’t fit into my picture of a good song and that’s sad.

Score: 6/10

Judit: Her vocal was really weak, but this performance was the strongest of the night. Spectacular and energetic show and it’s not a surprise that the audience loved it, but maybe it’s not enough to win A Dal 2015.

Score: 7.5/10

Wiwi Jury Average: 7/10

 See all of our A Dal 2015 Reviews here.

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