Wiwi Jury Denmark edition: Lighthouse X with “Soldiers of Love”

The Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – is continuing its journey around Denmark. Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2016 is a little over a week away and we’re here to review the ten finalists. Yesterday we sampled the all Danish delights of Muri & Mario’s “To Stjerner”. Today, we go from two guys to three, as we join Lighthouse X and witness their “Soldiers of Love”. Did they have us standing to attention? Read on to find out…

Lighthouse X “Soldiers of Love”

Reviews: Lighthouse X with “Soldiers of Love”

Deban: Vocal boyband-pop power finds new life in this Danish trio. “Soldiers Of Love” ticks every formulaic box, and delivers beautifully. In an ideal world and regardless of the end result, Dansk Melodi Grand Prix should be the launchpad for these boys. They have the looks, the talent and the best harmonies of the night.

Score: 8/10

Luis: The first thing I thought when I read the title was “get that away from me!”. This is another level of cheesy, which is a shame, because their voices are nice. And doesn’t one of them sound like Gianluca from Il Volo? That operatic voice is so distinct from the other two, that it sounds like a last minute addition. I suppose this is the work of a team of producers who wanted three guys with good voices, plus a song with “international lyrics”. That’s why “Soldiers of Love” lacks any personality or originality.

Score: 3.5/10

Anthony: A cross between a One Direction and OneRepublic single, “Soldiers of Love” is a well executed entry and brings out the best in Lighthouse X. Vocally, the trio work in perfect harmony. Given what happened to Anti Social Media in Vienna, I’d be pleasantly surprised if Denmark tries to make amends with another pop rock group.

Score: 7.5/10

DMGP 2016: Our top three

Josh: Lighthouse X — three handsome Danish men serenading us with a song about them being “Soldiers of Love”. Yes please! Admittedly, the lyrics are pretty cheesy and the overall sound is a tad dated. On the plus side, it’s inoffensive, it’s catchy and it’s radio friendly. I don’t think this will fair particularly well in DMGP this year because the field is so strong. But I look forward to seeing what Lighthouse X present in the future.

Score: 6.5/10

Robyn: Structurally, “Soldier of Love” is a perfectly ordinary contemporary pop song, but what’s ruined it for me is the cliché-packed lyrics. Virtually every line sounds like it’s been taken from another song. The end result is a track that’s devoid of personality, that sounds more like a songwriter’s inside joke instead of a heartfelt love song.

Score: 4/10

Bernardo: The lyrics are catchy and guys’ smooth voices combine perfectly. They also have the looks, so all together this could work out really well. “Soldiers of Love” probably won’t win, but it’s a fun and easy listening tune. They could surprise if they channel their One Direction lookalike realness.

Score: 7/10

Mike: I’d happily endanger myself in order for these soldiers of love to protect me! I love the cheesy Melodifestivalen feeling I get listening to this song. But the three boys are in it to win it. They aren’t going to go down the trashy Eurovision route, which would be so easy to do with this song. In the last five years, Denmark have sent a group to Eurovision twice. And I could see it happening again. And why not? Give me a shirt, a flag and an autograph on my boob and I will cheer for them too.

Score: 9/10

Kristin: I’m getting some serious boyband vibes here. The guys synchronise nicely and the chorus is catchy. This will undoubtedly do well in DMGP, because if the harmonies work live we might see some Danish One Direction realness. “Soldiers of Love” is a pleasant pop number and the guys are very easy on the eyes. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with on stage. I don’t see this going all the way to Stockholm, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Score: 7/10

Padraig: Forgive my dirty mind, but I expect most people would rather see the soldiers of love than listen to “Soldiers of Love”. This is standard boyband fare. It’s not ground-breakingly brilliant, yet it’s not a disaster either. Basically it’s average in every way. I’d be much more impressed if the song title was a double entendre, at least then I’d have something to snigger at.

Score: 5/10

William: The melody is pleasant enough, but the chorus is so bland it’s almost offensive. It has major shades of Westlife, but, as you’ll remember, they reached their peak more than a decade ago. Ultimately “Soldiers of Love” rides a boyband trend that is long out-of-fashion. This isn’t strong enough to revive it.

Score: 3.5/10

Our jury consists of 22 people, but we only have room for 10 written reviews. Here are the remaining 12 scores.

Antranig: 10/10

Bogdan: 4/10

Cristian: 4/10

Dayana: 7/10

Denise: 7.5/10

Edd: 5.5/10

Liam: 8/10

Mikhail: 6/10

Ramadan: 6/10

Sami: 10/10

Sopon: 4/10

WIWI JURY AVERAGE: 6.30/10

To reduce potential bias, we drop the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. We removed a low of 3.5 and a high of 10.

SEE OUR CURRENT DANSK MELODI GRAND PRIX 2016 REVIEWS AND RANKINGS.

Photos: DR