Lather on your sunscreen and grab your swimwear — we’re headed to the Med for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017, the national selection for Malta, which will take place on 18 February. But before then, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating all 16 competing entries. Today we move on to Shauna Vassallo with her song “Crazy Games”. Is MESC a crazy game she’s destined to win? Read on to find out…

Shauna Vassallo – “Crazy Games”

“Crazy Games” reviews

Luis: I’m giving Shauna the benefit of the doubt, because at the moment this song does not sound suitable for her. Maybe it’s the production, but her voice sounds too laid back for “Crazy Games”. This song is urban and current and I could see it used for a lounge night. So all in all it demands a voice with grit and flair. This should be very Dua Lipa, but right now it’s just Ann Sophie.

Score: 4/10

Robyn: “Crazy Games” has contemporary production, but the song itself sounds much older, like it was dusted off from 15 years prior. It also feels like it was written for a singer with a bigger R&B voice. But there’s still something really enjoyable about Shauna’s delivery of the lyric “Hit me with your la la la, your blah blah, your ha ha hey”. It’s a fun song, but not a great Eurovision entry.

Score: 6/10

William: This is from a different era — and it’s not one I want to relive. The production sounds cheap and, despite all the banging and clanging, it still induces sleep. Shauna has great attitude and spunk and her timbre works well with this warehouse sound. But still I can’t help but think the craziest game would be pressing repeat.

Score: 4/10

Chris: The song bores me right until the awful, early 00’s True Steppers B-side chorus comes in. “Out Of Your Mind” this ain’t, but you must be out of your mind to think this is relevant to Eurovision 2017. The lyrics show a complete lack of originality and it just feels out of place.

Score: 2.5/10

Deban: “Crazy Games” sounds like the fodder of UK urban pirate radio stations. Many street kids like this sort of jam, but may not necessarily get behind it. Newcomer Shauna packs a ton of sass into this entry, whilst shuffling from diva ballad to garage anthem. However, much of the production sounds overworked and on the verge of being dated very quickly.

Score: 5/10

Josh: “Crazy Games” is just like the Jackson 5’s “Rockin’ Robin” – cheap, cheap. There’s a clear audio mixing issue here because her vocals sound quieter than the backing instrumental. The song had potential to be great, and perhaps it’ll come to life when performed live. As for now? Not a fan.

Score: 3/10

Our jury for the 2017 Malta Eurovision Song Contest contains 14 jurors, but we only have room for six reviews. The remaining eight scores are listed below.

Antranig: 5/10

Bernardo: 4/10

Dayana: 7/10

Forrest: 1.5/10

George: 6/10

Jordi: 6/10

Ramadan: 6/10

Zakaria: 3/10

 

 

 

 

Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 1.5 and a high of 7.

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 4.54/10

See our list of MESC 2017 rankings here

Read more Malta Eurovision news here

12 Comments
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192.168.1.1
6 years ago

Crazy games!

Plata
Plata
7 years ago

I don’t care but I love this song <3

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
7 years ago

This kind of song belongs to Craig David. Seriously, listen to ‘Rewind’ (1999) or ‘Fill me in’ (2000) – do you hear the similar production mix?
This UK jamming song will appeal to some people if it is done right, but from this recording I’m really NOT feeling it. I’m really sorry Shauna; best of luck next year.

AngieP
AngieP
7 years ago

No, I don’t like it. Come on Malta!!

mocosuburbian
mocosuburbian
7 years ago

i don’t mind it actually
actually one of my favorites tbh

Hannes
Hannes
7 years ago

I actually really like the chorus…..i think it’s diffrent from the other songs. Oh well. 😛

DenizNL
DenizNL
7 years ago

I actually really like this.

Chance
Chance
7 years ago

The levels in the chorus are awful. But it could be a club banger. It could also (probably) be a disaster live.

(J)ESC Fanatic
(J)ESC Fanatic
7 years ago

The verses are actually not bad, but the chorus is a horrible mess. I hate how, as Colin said, the beat overshadows the vocal.

Colin
Colin
7 years ago

The chorus seams overproduced. The beat overshadows the vocal. Really seams like it’s meant for a studio version and not live. Surprise me, though.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
7 years ago

I thought it was ok until the chorus then it lost me.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
7 years ago

I think it’s a nice song. Different from the other stuff in their cheesy national final, but definitely not suitable for a live show.