Wiwi Jury Romania: Tudor Turcu with “Save Us”

In preparation for Romania’s Selectia Nationala, the Wiwi Jury is reviewing each of the twelve participating songs. Next up is Tudor Turcu with the song “Save Us”. Do we think Tudor Turcu has what it takes to do well in Eurovision? Read on to find out.

David: Loud does not mean good. There’s nothing special about the song or singer. He has a pleasant voice but it’s mostly loud music with a heavy beat and his singing hung on that music.

Score: 6.5/10

Deban: I love the juxtaposition the voices offer here. Tudor Torcu’s gravelly voice interjects with a children’s choir whilst set against a heavy rock background. This melting pot of overdose may not be everybody’s cup of tea. However, I’m swept by the excess of it all. Tudor Torcu won the Romanian X Factor in 2012. The man can sing, entertain and put on a great show.

Score: 8/10

Francheska: I’m pretty sure nobody wants to save somebody who is followed by misfortune. The children’s choir crying “it’s time to save us” is not only grammatically incorrect but also creepy. Seriously, I expect that in a horror movie. Save us from this monstrosity!

Score: 2/10

Iñaki: It’s impossible to avoid thinking about the Russian duo t.a.T.u. while listening to this song. The backing singers are identical and some twists of the song are a clear reminder of them. Otherwise, it’s a powerful song that needs an improved arrangement: too much confusion with all those strings, beats, etc. The best part is the solid and ripped voice of Tudor; the worst is the mirthless ending of the song.

Score: 5.5/10

Josh: Look, the song is pretty good. Tudor’s voice is raspy and hypnotic and the children’s choir does offer some great mood to the song. Unfortunately these kids do sound like they are 6, not 16, and rules are not made to be broken at Eurovision. Perhaps we could just send 5 Karen Walker’s to sing in the background?

Score: 6.5/10

Kristin: I am loving this!  The heavy beat, the backing vocals, and Tudor’s gravelly voice, somehow make the whole ensemble work like a charm.  Its not the heaviest rock you’ll hear, but there is just something so hypnotizing about this, I just can’t put my finger on it. I just know that “Save Us” is an absolute favorite! Its vastly different from the other songs, and the metalhead within me is literally jumping with joy. Go Tudor! You have my vote!

Score: 10/10

Louis: An eerie song singing about making the world better with snippets of ‘child-like’ voices asking to be saved sure does make you think about the message of the song. The lyrics are fine but the delivery not so much.

Score: 7/10

Luis: Not sure about this one… it has some quality, but the song is so slow and the climax ends strangely early, making the rest of the song sound like an extended version for the music video. Tudor’s voice sounds forced and the children’s chorus gets annoying as the song advances. Still, I can’t say I completely dislike it, for some reason.

Score: 4.5/10

Max: This song confuses me SO much! The verses start so slow and boring but then all of a sudden a children’s choir starts singing ‘Save Us’ and my ears begin to be more interested. The fusion of ballad, rock and choir elements really compliment each other and although not the strongest song in the selection I think it has certain high points that would give Romania a good result.

Score: 7.5/10

Patrick: I was kinda shocked when I heard the children’s voices in the beginning – it was like a déjà vu – it reminds me of the kid’s voices in Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”. Anyways, the song is not bad at all, I even think it’s a strong entry for veteran Tudor! I don’t know if its good for Vienna, but for Bucharest, it’s awesome!

Score: 7/10

Robyn: So, a growly rock singer combined with a children’s choir – sounds great? Except kids can’t perform at Eurovision, so instead they’ll have to use women singing in childlike voices, which is always a bit creepy. This isn’t working for me.

Score: 4/10

Sami: I like the children’s choir, but like Robyn said, you can’t do that in Eurovision. His voice is great, but he needs to work on his English pronounciation. The song is quite international and it’s nice to listen to. If he sounds and looks great live, I wouldn’t mind to see this in Vienna. 

Score: 7/10

Sopon: Diction, diction, diction. Tudor, the way you pronounce the words here is just horrendous. Making a song about saving the children might seem nice on the outside, but inside, it just seems like a cheap and shallow way to get votes. And the choir isn’t helping one bit. Take out the choir, work on your diction, and then we can try again.

Score: 3/10

The highest and lowest scores have been removed before calculating the final scores to avoid bias. We have removed a high of 10 and a low of 2.5.

The Wiwi Jury Verdict: 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.