POLAND

The Polish Final was held on February 23rd, hosted by Artur Orzech. Before the final there were 3 semi-finals where only the winner of each show reached the final.  The winner was chosen by SMS and jury voting. The winner was Alicja Szemplinska with the song "Empires"

Alicja is on stage alone although to either side of her is the mini orchestra used to accompany the track. She is dressed smartly in a white trouser suit, which didn't really flatter or fit her properly, and under that she is wearing a flesh coloured top which could make some people believe she wasn't wearing anything! She is also adorned which a few nice rings on her hands, which are  very visible when she reaches for the microphone, and be made more of.

The "Szansa Na Sukces" studio was rather threadbare when it comes to set up but I will try and expand on it if I can. She is situated on a small circular plinth with a microphone and stand. The backdrop is an array of slowly moving hexagonal chains, slowly moving. When the camera pans across it gives the feeling they there are layers of these rather than just a flat background. Also the words scroll up on the backdrop which is a rather novel idea but when her singing got rather shouty and breathy you kind of needed it!

The song starts with a quite mournful piano and violin introduction. Most of the song follows a familiar formula of verse/bridge/chorus x2 albeit with slightly different orchestration each time. After this the song gets a bit more free form as it falls from bit to bit each time hoping it's going to be one more repeat of the chorus but never quite getting there. There is plenty of rise and fall, especially when leading up to the big finish. Unfortunately the end note seemed a little tricky for her - although I totally understand that she may have been nervous or anxious about competing - but hopefully between now and May she can get some vocal coaching to iron this out.

Unlike many of the songs I've reviewed lately this one sounds great and powerful and fresh at first listen, but the more you listen to it - the more you pick it apart - the more you sense there are holes in in its fabric. The initial time I saw and heard this I could totally see the potential but the more I've rewatched it the more I realise not is all as it seems. The last minute is a total mess and the ending couple of lines don't really work without the chorus behind it and some of the other lyrics are rather trite.
Bearing in mind that the setup of the studio was rather basic,there is huge scope for visual improvement as well as a total styling and outfit upgrade. With a couple of months prep I think she can iron out the performance and make sure he can hit the big notes. I am now just to aware of the poor construction of this song and I think that if it isn't changed its not going to flow properly.

Artist - Alicja Szemplinska
Song - Empires
Composers - Laurell Barker, Dominic Buczkowski-Wojtaszek, Patryk Kumór, Frazer Mac
Lyricists - Laurell Barker, Dominic Buczkowski-Wojtaszek, Patryk Kumór, Frazer Mac

POLAND

The Polish song was unveiled on March 8^th as the video and song were released online. Back in February it was announced vocal group Tulia was going to represent the country. Their song is called "Fire of Love (Pali się)".

The video for the song in black and white and follows the four members of the group getting ready for a performance in a rural hall. They are dressed in traditional costume, although a little bit more demure what the outfits seen in 2015! The people watching are all generally quite old and are dressed in large hats, coats with shawls and scarves. There is also a fire engine crew in attendance When the girls are on stage they are quite static, almost emotionless. Although the audience looks slightly disinterested and bored by the show they end up getting a standing ovation and everybody looks happier. The girls then leave and the fire engine crew also leaves.

The sound is rather unusual to the ears as it is slightly genre bending. The group unites rock and pop production values with traditional folk singing. At first it can seem quite shouty and full on but in some ways it does have a certain charm Most of the song is in Polish apart from the start and the end. The piece starts with the ‘Fire of love’ hook line, in English followed by the first verse, half English half Polish and a rendition of the chorus. We then have another verse and chorus in quick succession and yet we have only just passed half way on the clock. We have another verse/chorus cycle followed closely by another chorus, this time in English which takes us to the finish.

The full Polish version of ‘Pali się’ had actually been around for quite a while but when this was released again as the entry the English bits had been added in. I personally think this is a little bit nonsensical. Firstly, because I don’t think the style of singing particularly fits in well with the language and secondly, their style of singing is so booming and bawling you can barely tell which bits are in which language. I am also concerned that their performance style might be a little bit lacking. From the research I have done they just kind of stand and sing and that might come across as lifeless, cold or just boring. No amount of lighting or video cues would rectify that.

I appreciate the effort and unusualness of the entry but think that this might be a little bit too full on and different for the Eurovision audience to fully digest. But as we all know, if this pulls together the wide diaspora and gets them voting, anything is possible.

ARTIST –  Tulia

SONG –  Fire of Love (Pali się)

MUSIC -  Nadia Dalin

LYRICS - Sonia Krasny, Allan Rich, Jud Friedmann