ESTONIA

The Estonian Final was held on February 21st at the Nokia Concert Hall in Tallinn, hosted by Marko Reikop & Henrik Kalmet. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals  that reduced the list of 20 to 10. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round the top 3 songs were chosen by televoting (50%) and an "expert" jury (50%). In the second round the winner was chosen just by televoting. Going to Vienna will be Elina Born and Stig Rästa singing the song "Goodbye to yesterday"

ERR used their tried and tested Eesti Laul selection process again this year, having produced 3 qualifiers in the last 5 years as well as giving a platform to many up and coming acts. At is happened, the duo had overwhelming support in the semi-finals and finals from both the jury and televote and were run away winners of the contest.

The song has a melancholic '60s tinge to it and has a predictably-tuned chorus. The song starts with Stig singing very low, which you don't quite expect. It's then that the song starts to ramp up as the repetition of the chorus starts. The backing track of the song is really strong, especially with the prominent guitar and the brass sections that come in to accentuate the beats. To my ear it has the same chord structure, although not the same tune, as Antique's "Die for you".

Elina is no stranger to the Eesti Laul contest having participated in 2013. She has a very powerful tone and seems to soar towards the high notes. Stig has worked with Elina for some time being more of a writer/producer than a singer. His voice is a little less polished, rougher around the seams but in the context of the song it really works. The contrasts between the singer's voices makes really interesting blends of harmony and it sounds like there is genuine feeling and angst between them.

During the Eesti Laul process they have performed the song in different ways - on stools, standing next to each other as well as facing totally different directions. Although the whole thing has looked odd as a concept, the meaning of the song seems to shine though. I also think keeping the black and white filter is a must! It is very reminiscent of the Common Linnets last year but I don't think this is a bad thing. They need to keep the odd camera angles, blurs and close ups of the sings as it really creates an intimate feel to the song.

The whole staging and concept of the song is so strong and the aura it creates is very special. I think the song is very modern and could easily be heard on the playlist of Radio 2 in the UK. My issue is with the reaction and staging at Eurovision. It's not a sing-a-long song, or one to dance to OR to get lighters filling the air. I don't know how immediate this will be to the European viewers. This all said, the song was very strongly voted for by the juries and televoters in Estonia so the feeling could be wider spread. This is a very classy song, too classy not to qualify and should be a shoo-in for top 10 of not top 5.

ARTIST - Elina Born and Stig Rästa

SONG - Goodbye to yesterday

MUSIC - Stig Rästa

LYRICS - Stig Rästa