The Wiwi Jury reviews Super Trooper with "Secret Place"

The Wiwi Jury is enjoying listening to the entries of Selectia Nationala 2015 while impatiently waiting for March 8. We continue our reviews with disco group Super Trooper and their song “Secret Place”. Were we ready to buy some cheap afro wigs and sunglasses, or did we want to be stayin’ alive in our own time period? Read on to find out.

David: A very pleasant catchy tune. It holds your attention by keeping the happy upbeat mode while changing enough throughout that it’s not repetitive. It’s not a winner but it will put a smile on your face.

Score: 8/10

Deban: If Alcazar were Romanian, they’d sound like Super Trooper. “Secret Place” offers no treasure. It is horribly outdated, rather forgettable and contains a few irritating high pitches.

Score: 2.5/10

Francheska: Super Trooper’s beams did not find me with this song (I’m sorry, the ABBA reference was too strong). It’s disco meets Maroon 5’s “Makes Me Wonder”, and I’m just left confused and with bleeding ears. They clearly want to sound like Earth, Wind, and Fire but they have only dishonored their legacy.

Score: 0.5/10

Íñaki: And here it comes: the “Saturday Night Song”. This is nothing more than a bad recreation of the Bee Gees. I do hate the backing singers and their naif way of singing. This song needs at least a falsetto to make it shine. The linear structure, without any kind of magic gives us a boring and repetitive song.

Score: 4.5/10

Josh: This song ruins almost everything I love about ’90s pop music. The difference is that Alcazar, Vengaboys, and Daft Punk are actually enjoyable artists where this just sounds like I stumbled across a dingy karaoke bar in the middle of Bucharest. Not for me!

Score: 1/10

Kristin: I feel like I’m stuck at some shady ’70s club, and my afro is always getting stuck in the disco ball, thats hanging from the ceiling… and somehow, I kinda like it! This song is beyond cheesy and wrong, but I constantly find myself grooving along with it. Disco is not dead! Disco is life!

Score: 8/10

Louis: When you listen to this and you say you aren’t nodding your head or tapping your foot, you’re lying. Unbearably catchy and putting you in great spirits, people would definitely get the bug if the staging and choreography is right. Although it sounds like some of their inspiration comes from ’90s pop greatest hits, a classic is a classic and will always be liked.

Score: 9/10

Luis: I would really like to meet who thought this was a good idea and the Romanian juror(s) who thought this could fit into a national final in 2015. Come on, what the hell is this?! This is something that even Baccara would have rejected. They sure can ‘party, party’ at their secret place called home on May 23.

Score: 1/10

Max: The first song that pops into my head when I listen to ‘Secret Place’ is The KMG’s ‘Love Power’ from Belgium 2007. It has that disco vibe going on that makes my feet tap but it does nothing more for me. There’s too many ‘woah woah’s’ filling this song and as you will come to notice in my reviews that’s something I HATE. For a disco song it’s also a little slow and needs a faster pace if it wants to be remembered.

Score: 6.5/10

Patrick: Is it really necessary to say that it’s dated as hell?! Did sombody tell them that the ’70s are over and that people want to hear modern music? You can’t compare them to Alcazar or the Bee Gees – they all are/were good but they are not. It’s definitely not made for Eurovision as it’s cheap and dull – although many people could dance to it – if we were in the year 1974!

Score: 2/10

Robyn: This sounds strongly influenced by Daft Punk’s 2013’s international mega hit “Get Lucky” mixed with a chilled-out Vengaboys style. It’s a really fun summer song, but I’m wary that according to pics on their website, Super Trooper are styled as a retro ’70s party band, complete with a comedy Afro wig. But like Daft Punk and Pharrell did, I’d rather see them give that cool retro sound a modern presentation.

Score: 7/10

Sami: It sounds kinda dated, but there is a modern twist on it. His voice is super annoying and the three minutes feel really long and I don’t think this will get enough votes to pass the semifinal, if Romania ends up sending this. I don’t think that will happen though.

Score: 3/10

Sopon: That’s strange. I thought the Bee Gees were dead, not in Romania! Apparently, disco never dies, and that might be a good thing. “Super Trooper” obviously isn’t fit for Eurovision and should not win Selectia, but I wouldn’t mind listening to it again at a ’70s themed party or at bowling night.

Score: 7/10

The highest and lowest scores have been removed before calculating the final scores to avoid bias. We have removed a high of 9 and a low of 0.5.

The Wiwi Jury Verdict: 4.6/10

You can read all of our reviews and rankings for Selectia Nationala 2015 by clicking here. You can also keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following the team from wiwibloggs.com on Twitter @wiwibloggs and by liking our Facebook page.