Earlier today, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — gathered in Valletta to discuss the contestants participating in Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2016 (MESC). After taking in some of the island’s Phoenician ruins, we turned to Danica Muscat and her entry “Frontline”. Were we ready to join Danica on the frontline, or did we prefer just to just chill out at the back? Read on to find out…
DANICA MUSCAT – “FRONTLINE”
“FRONTLINE” REVIEWS
Cristian: This song instantly puts me in a good mood. The verses are really nice, but sadly the chorus is pretty weak. I would listen to this song during a trip in my car, but I wouldn’t choose it for the Eurovision stage. It’s too forgettable.
Score: 6.5/10
Deban: “Frontline” starts off strong with clear vocals and an acoustic guitar. However, the melody takes a few surprising turns — but not in a good way. By the time it hits the instrumental bridge, the whole thing has tailed off. Clearly offering a B-side point of view, “Frontline” is not a front-runner.
Score: 4 /10
Josh: Danica’s entry into MESC this year is an inoffensive country-esque ballad which will make a great filler between some of the bigger entries in the selection for Malta. And unfortunately that’s all “Frontline” will ever be — a filler. Danica has a beautiful jazzy voice but this song doesn’t utilise that talent to its full potential. Keep on keeping on, Danica. You’ll get there eventually.
Score: 5/10
Renske: “Frontline” sounds like it was recorded during an acoustic session. Nothing bad in general, but in this case it sounds a bit cheap. It’s lovely as background music in a nice café, but it’s just not memorable enough for the bigger stages like MESC and Eurovision.
Score: 6/10
Robyn: “Frontline” is a bit jazzy, a bit country and with a chorus straight outta ’80s easy-listening pop. All up, it’s very mild and very inoffensive. It might stand out against all the power anthems at MESC this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s good.
Score: 3/10
William: I’m not sure what Danica heard on the grapevine, but I’m sure “She’s better than this song” was among the whispers. Although her sexy, sultry vocals shine through, the song goes nowhere and fails to strike the emotional note it so earnestly seeks. With this Danica is on the frontline — of bland, forgettable music.
Score: 3/10
In the Maltese Wiwi Jury we have 18 jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining twelve scores are below.
Anthony: 6.5/10
Antranig: 4/10
Bernardo: 6.5/10
Denise: 4/10
George: 7/10
Luis: 6/10
Maria: 3/10
Mario: 4/10
Patrick: 5/10
Ramadan: 5/10
Rezo: 1/10
Zakaria: 1/10
The highest and lowest scores are dropped prior to calculating the average score. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 1 and a high of 7.
It’s a bit too country, but certainly better than the I’ll fated: ”you’re so beautiful.”
I am not a big fan either.