Over the past month, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals — has been reviewing each of the twenty songs in Estonia’s national selection. We may not have an Estonian passport, but we certainly had strong opinions. Below you can see the average score that each act received out of 10. If you click on their name you can read an interview or watch a video message. If you click on their song you can read our reviews in full. Do you agree with us? Or are you hoping that someone other than Elina Born & Stig Rästa wins?
You can watch the Estonian national final live on Eurovision.tv WEB TV from 20:35 CET tonight.
The Finalists
1. Elina Born & Stig Rästa with “Goodbye to Yesterday” (9.22)
The Positive: This song is perfect. I adore their voices, their chemistry and especially the lyrics. Instead of similes relating love to the weather or space or music, “Goodbye to Yesterday” actually does tell a story, and an emotional one too.
The Negative: I didn’t get this first time around. The nonsensical lyrics felt like they belonged at Latvia’s national selection: not Estonia.
Stig Rästa Interview
2. Daniel Levi with “Burning Lights” (7.44)
The Positive: This is ultra slick and ultra catchy. Estonia’s answer to A Friend in London have arrived and the song is literally bursting with so many different things to hook it is impossible not to be won over. Burning Lights” has the catchiness, amid a more polished one, of McBusted combined with the stage presence of OneRepublic from Daniel Levi.
The Negative: I had high hopes in this but the result of the song is horrible rock trash.
3. Elisa Kolk with “Superlove” (6.5)
The Positive: Elisa is a wonderful vocalist and “Superlove” feels like a very fitting song for a 17-year old star. The song is modern and sweet, just like young Elisa herself.
The Negative: Quick test: is Elisa’s “Superlove” as good as Charlie XCX’s song of the same name? No, it is not. Instead of a bright pop tune, it’s a plain ballad with nothing remarkable about it.
4. Triin Niitoja & John4 with “This is Our Choice” (5.44)
The Positive: Floaty vocals and a playful Nashville guitar root this firmly in the busy Eesti Laul country camp. This is totally harmless and they work well together as a duet. The chorus is fantastic and I can see the Common Linnets similarities but it’s no problem.
The Negative: Mediocre male-female duet. This one has all of the clichés and metaphors that “Goodbye to Yesterday” lacks, and feels very ingenuine.
5. Luisa Värk with “Minu päike” (4.94)
The Positive: Luisa Värk is a lovely singer with a pleasant voice. Luisa has a warmth about her that engages me.
The Negative: Another 80’s sounding song this year courtesy of Ms. Värk. This song is highly boring. There is no memorable melody and it just lacks some oomph.
6. Elephants From Neptune with “Unriddle Me” (4.67)
The Positive: I really enjoy listening to “Unriddle Me”. It’s a funky rock song that has international appeal. Love the Pussy Riot style, love the music, love the rock, love it all.
The Negative: I listened to this song for the full duration and I remember just about none of it.
7. The Blurry Lane with “Exceptional” (4.11)
The Positive: It’s growing on me and is one of my favourite English only entries of Eesti Laul. The sultry vocals from Kristi Raias are the main highlight and really lift the mood of this indie pop song.
The Negative: This song is so tiring and lazy and I just can’t listen to it for the full three minutes. Her voice makes me sleepy and you could find this song on any country artist’s album.
8. Maia Vahtramäe with “Üle vesihalli taeva” (3.06)
The Positive: This seems really mystical and really, it is! Maia’s voice is brilliant in its own way! She has the whole-package – the look, the voice and the attitude. I really like this dark sound and it fits perfectly with the Estonian language!
The Negative: The intro takes me to the Wild West, but then the it all turns to this dull and totally forgottable track. Nothing in it makes me want to listen again.
9. Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers – “Troubles” (2.89)
The Positive: Sounds like we have the Estonian version of Michael Bublé and I love it. This is an enjoyable song that I would listen to.
The Negative: This sounds like a theme song of an American sitcom from the 1970s. Maybe music like this is popular in Estonia, but outside of that bubble, it just sounds dated and would have little appeal in Vienna.
10. Kali Briis Band – “Idiot” (1.44)
The Positive: The instrumental parts are quite nice.
The Negative: So little about this works and it just feels incredibly cheap. This would look bad compared with some of the Swiss web entries – and that says it all.
Who is YOUR favourite? Let us know below!
