Second day of rehearsals

Apologies for the delay in bringing updates from the rehearsals due to unforeseen circumstances. However let's roll it on.... The second day of rehearsals was held Monday 4th of May, with a second rehearsal of these songs held Thursday and Friday. I will do another review of the performances themselves and give them my score.

ISRAEL

They have chosen to go for the remixed version of this song in the sing-back rather than the superior original version which is a shame. I have felt that since the remixed version was presented in the music video of the song, it sounds slightly as if the music and the vocals are two different songs which gives a messy sound picture. That aside, the girls gave a near perfect vocal peformance, only the costumes need improving especially the one the Jewish girl wears. (8 out of 10)

BULGARIA

I wasn't sure what to expect of this as the live performance from the Bulgarian semi final and final was disasterous. However, the vocals are now much improved, due to the backing vocals taking over a lot of the high tones. Still it is a bit too much screaming for my liking but at least they are now in tune. The second rehearsal was not as good vocally, still not bad. However the stage show featuring two people on stilts are very distracting from the performance. Neither does it help with the lead singer's medieval outfit. (6 out of 10)

ICELAND

Yohanna sings beautifully, perhaps even a notch better than she did in the Icelandic final. The song comes across very well on stage, a very nice background. However the only thing she needs to work on is her stage appearance, as she looks a bit tense. In the second rehearsal she wore a big blue dress that looked completely wrong in my opinion next to the already blue background. (9 out of 10)

FYR MACEDONIA

Well performed without really impressing me nor disappointing me. I can't help but being somewhat indifferent to this song. Fairly decent background. But I am afraid this could be easily forgotten. However, vocally this is spot on. (8 out of 10)

ROMANIA

The first rehearsal of this song was a tad messy, the second rehearsal was much improved. Elena sings well without ever giving me the wow feeling. Catchy song with a decent dance routine, but is not as effective on stage as it could or should have been. (7 out of 10)

FINLAND

This song sounds like a hit on record, however the live performance has let me down quite a bit. The girls doing the vocals can definitely sing but live it sunds a bit screechy. The performance doesn't flow very naturally and I feel there should be more action on stage during a dance song like this, instead we get 4 people standing almost side by side rapping and singing. Although I like the studio version a lot the live performance is making me feel quite indifferent. (6 out of 10)

PORTUGAL

Not the most outstanding song in this year's contest, however the background they have chosen is perfect and the singer looks a lot better than she did in Portuguese final. Vocally, this is flawless, it comes across very naturally and effortlessly, a very charming performance. There is nothing here I feel need much improvement. (10 out of 10)

MALTA

We all know Chiara can sing. The background was luckily changed from the 'fish in the sea' to a now almost magical 'sky filled with stars'. Despite being alone on stage, Chiara gives it her all. A powerful performance and a sure qualifier. We have not yet seen the outfit she will be wearing but this looks very promising. (9 out of 10)

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

The last song of the first semi final. And what a way to end the first show. Vocally, this is again flawless. We saw the group in their full costumes in the second rehearsal and it looks and sounds fabulous, very pleasing to both the ear and eye. A perfect choice in matching colours and visual image. (10 out of 10)

Video clips for most of these performances can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AKOE09

More thorough reviews of the performances are also available in the blog of the fabulous Irish website All Kinds Of Everything: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/