Lithuania: Wiwi Jury reviews Ruta Loop and The Roop

The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to review the qualifying acts from Lithuania’s Eurovizijos Atranka 2018. Next we listen to Ruta Loop with “Positive Thoughts” and The Roop with “Yes, I Do”. Did either of these songs give us positive thoughts? Read on to find out!

Ruta Loop – “Positive Thoughts”

“Positive Thoughts”

Antranig: Ruta Loop has some peculiar DIY staging, though I can’t deny that it is effective. Her “Positive Thoughts” turn the most simple of staging into something memorable. The song lacks the power to be a serious contender in the Lithuanian selection but for three minutes I can appreciate it for what it is. Simple, carefree and packed with an uplifting message. Ruta puts a smile on my face (and some chocolate sprinkles on my lips).

Score: 7/10

Lukas: This song is good but there is just nothing special to make it that interesting. Just like the title says “Positive Thoughts” it makes you feel positive but after few minutes you just get bored of it. The staging with that box just doesn‘t work at all and Ruta almost fell from it near the end. This song just doesn‘t have that wow factor, but Ruta has a great voice and delivers it quite well.

Score: 6.5/10

Raphael: What stands out in Ruta’s performance of “Positive Thoughts” is that it hardly seems choreographed. Her spontaneity brings what might otherwise be a forgettable song to life, even if the chorus doesn’t stick for more than a minute. Although her costume and staging could use some direction, Ruta’s charisma and fact that she seemed to be winging the performance (even if she wasn’t) will win over many audiences.

Score: 7/10

Robyn: “Positive Thoughts” is true to its title. It delivers a cute, uplifting song that’s enjoyable to listen to. But that staging is a mess. That utility case with last Christmas’s lights stuck on it looks like it was perhaps hastily put together after the real prop broke. It’s an odd mix with Ruta’s cheerful demeanour. The song is fine; it’s the staging that desperately needs to be improved.

Score: 6.5/10

William: The strength of this stems from Ruta herself. She’s adorable, quirky, energetic and full of life. It makes a rather mediocre and cheesy song very likeable. And while I like the message — start with yourself and smile, y’all — musically it’s just a bit meh. I give all of my points to the singer rather than the song. If she wins give her a better tune for Eurovision and she may well make the final.

Score: 6.5/10

In the Lithuanian Wiwi Jury, we have 13 jurors but only room for 5 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:

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 5 and a high of 7.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 6.41/10

The Roop – “Yes, I Do”

“Yes, I Do” reviews

Antranig: The backing track for “Yes, I Do” is edgy and fun. The vocals, lyrics and staging is all just a distraction from what could be a big hit in the elevator music community. It’s a great piece of music that’s been paired with mediocrity on all other fronts. This would need a major revamp to succeed but even with all its flaws, it definitely has potential.

Score: 5/10

Lukas: This entry is something different from all the other songs in Lithuania. It has a great message and is quite catchy but at the same time, it is very repetitive. And after one minute I get bored of it. The staging was good and performance as well but the song needs a little revamp to not be so monotonous.

Score: 6/10

Raphael: “Yes I Do” is captivating in its first 30 seconds of darkness, but when the lights come on, all of the energy that The Roop built up just vanishes. The chorus — which, in a song where it’s sung a good ten times, had better be solid — only has two notes and doesn’t strike any emotional chords. The quirky choreography is acceptable, but then the song should be equally quirky. And at this point, it’s nothing but flat.

Score: 4/10

Robyn: The Roop go to a lot of effort to get the message across that they are morning people. That’s all the song is — a declaration that waking up and facing the new day is awesome. I suspect much of the appeal of the band is down to the lead singer, TV personality Vaidotas Valiukevicius. He has loads of charisma, but it’s not quite enough to make up for the song’s flaws.

Score: 6.5/10

William: A man in a straitjacket sitting on a box in darkness isn’t the most obvious way to start a performance. And that makes this strangely appealing. His voice is resonant and smooth with just the right amount of grit, and his avant-garde styling and choreography smack of a true artist. The song, while not an earworm, isn’t as dire as the others in this selection, and for that I raise my hands to the sky.

Score: 7/10

In the Lithuanian Wiwi Jury, we have 13 jurors but only room for 5 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:

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 4 and a high of 7.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 5.77/10

See our list of Eurovizijos Atranka 2018 rankings

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