MALTA

The Maltese Final was held on November 22th at Marsa Shipbuilding (home the previsous week to Junior Eurovision) hosted by Daniel Chircop and Lyona Xuereb Gatt. Before the final there was a semi-final the previous evening, with 14 of the 20 songs qualifying for the final. The voting was a mixture of an "expert" jury and televoting and the winner was "Warrior" sung by Amber.

The Maltese took the same route as they have done over the past few years, with a semi-final and final... just a bit earlier than normal! This said, I find the semi aspect of this qualification a little redundant as they only get rid of 6 songs. For a semi final I would expect the field to be cut more substantially than that. The show seemed a very Maltese affair with the same old adverts and to be honest the same old singers!

The song will bring comparisons to Moldova's failed entry last year. The minimalist dub-steppy backing track is a great palette to showcase Amber's singing and performance skills. It starts of like a normal ballad but then ramps up pretty quickly. The chorus is very memorable but the rest of the song is a little non-descript. It is very easy to become lost and unhooked during the verses. If Amber wasn't so much of an engaging singer, this song would not have worked.

Amber has an amazing voice - much better live than in the recording. I also like the way she seemed quite confident just standing there on her own, interpreting the song herself, without a barrage of dancers or an over the top backdrop. She has to push quite hard to get tot he higher notes but she never really seemed strained or OTT.

I have a feeling that Malta will probably rip this up and start all over again. It wouldn't surprise me if it turned into the hot mess of Moldova last year. I personally think it works as it is, although a revamp of the backing track might not be a bad idea. They may well give Amber a more warrior-like dress to wear, especially to stand out a bit more against that backdrop. Less is more, Malta...

However you must also keep in the back of your mind the fact that the new Maltese Eurovision rules state that they could decided to drop the song totally for something brand new...

In fairness, the field was not that strong and this stood out a mile as an obvious winner and scored 12 points from all 5 jurors AND the televoting. I don't think it will be quite the same come May. Just don't mess about with it too much, Malta!!!

ARTIST - Amber

SONG - Warrior

MUSIC - Elton Zarb

LYRICS - Matt (Muxu) Mercieca