The video is very youthful, following Benny and his chums aas they make their way to a house party or secret rave of sorts. There is a lot of smoke as well as a lot of odd lighting which creates a lot of atmosphere and embellishes the movements. Much of the video is done with rather odd angles, in particular a lot of twisting and circular shots as well as far away and close up shots. Also also of the action has been filmed in slow motion which really accentuates the movement which goes with the rather scarce music. Benny also spends some of his time with no top on which will be very pleasing to may of the viewers.
The song has a very odd structure which breaks the 'normal' and expected verse/chorus/bridge format. It definitely takes its cue from Afrobeat music as well as minimalist RnB music and has quite the flow to it. Although there are parts that can be recognised and verses and choruses, their structure, tone and flow is almost indistinguishable and everything ends up mushing into each other. Although this makes the piece as a whole very together, the hooks and earworms aren't as strong as they could be. After a brief keyboard intro Benny starts rapping/chanting criss crossing the bars and beats throughout. Just after a minute the 'chorus' comes into effect and then comes in again 30 seconds later and then a final bast in the final 30 seconds. The repeating keyboard bassline is very catchy and more could be made of this by adding more beat and volume in certain parts and possibly backing vocals to give it more ooomph.
The music video is very well produced but does mask his ability as a live singer. Luckily he produced a stripped back live version of this song during the Czech selection process and the result is a rather different side of the song. His voice shows quite a bit of power and varies the volume of this voice quite easily. If I had one main criticisms of his voice it would be that he doesn't open his mouth very much as the verses tent to mumble out rather than have power and pronunciation. I'd also like to see African imagery on screen or on stage it really emphasise the rhythms of the song and also give it a very ethnic and memorable twist. I think the fact that a artist of colour is representing this nation a very powerful symbol and one they need to push forward.
I am slightly biased about this song because when it came to voting for my favourite of the bunch -this was it - so I am of course quite pleased that it won! That said it still has its faults and there are many things to be worked out before gracing the stage in May. The structure of the song means that it is hard to follow along and put together with Benny's rather nonchalant style it could be quite confusing for the casual viewer but also rather interesting for the younger r&b audience. But with some tweaks to the backing track which may give the song more ebb and flow and ramp up the beat at the main parts - it could just work. The Czech Republic have had some great staging over the last few years and I get the feeling this won't disappoint. I do wonder what the juries will make of this. Possibly those younger and with a more 'urban' and possibly jazz background may like this more than those more of the stereotypical pop background. This is a bold choice and could get a bold result - which could easily go either way.
Artist - Benny Christo
Song - Kemama
Composers - Ben Cristovao, Rudy Ray Charles Sarpong, Osama Verse-Atile
Lyricists - Ben Cristovao, Rudy Ray Charles Sarpong, Osama Verse-Atile
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