Solo by Blanka.
The internet is awash with all manner of lurid claims about how Blanka came to win the Polish national final. It won’t take you long, looking at the performance of the unsuccessful favourite, to understand why he didn’t, and she did, yet some fans seem to be hanging his failure unfairly around Blanka’s neck. It’s just one of many hurdles she’s going to have to overcome.
This is a Latin-flavoured summer pop hit, the kind we’ve heard on holiday for years. Or a minor summer pop hit, because let’s face it, it’s never going to be a smash. There are so many songs in this vein that comparison is both inevitable and unfavourable, and herein lies the biggest of Blanka’s challenges: it’s just not very good.
With such a flimsy composition you really need an artist who can give the show-stopping performance of their lives and, well you’ve guessed it: at this point Blanka’s woes are just piling up.
In her favour is her competition, a semi-final in which at least four of her competitors are objectively weaker. But hoping that a couple more of the better-favoured songs have a shocker on the night so you can beat them is a dangerous strategy. Still, the favourite under-performing is why she’s here in the first place so lightning might yet strike twice.
I’m convinced this is included at least twice in every playlist I’ve listened to because it always seems to come round more frequently than any of the other entries this year. Even with the Contest a week away I’ve listened to this quite sufficient times already.
My marks: 3 points