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The Xtra Files 2018: We review Spain’s ‘Tu Canción’ by Alfred and Amaia!

Welcome to The Xtra Files, our series which will give you an insight into what the team at ESCXTRA think of your favourite entries into this year’s contest! Today, we review Spain.

Now that all the songs have been released, we are able to review each and every one of them. Our honest and brutal reviews will keep you entertained until the rehearsals start on 30 April! We will also each give a score out of 10 for every entry, and create an ESCXTRA leaderboard of the entries!

Today we have reviews of the Spanish entry, ‘Tu Canción’ by Alfred and Amaia, from Hlynur, Sami, Nathan, Tom, Yassia and Matt. Let’s get started!

The Reviews

Hlynur

First time I tried to listen to it I just gave up. Just a bit too sweet for my taste. In addition part of the chorus sounds like the word “væl” in Icelandic, which means “whining”. Which is some ways sounds like the correct describtion of the song. But it weirdly catchy and it will probably do better then I think it should.

Sami

Alfred and Amaia are able to tell their love story through a song, even without understanding the language. There is so much feeling on this song. Their voices also sound great together. Spain should deserve their best result in years.

Nathan

This is my favourite entry this year. A beautiful waltz, delicately telling the story of a blossoming romance between two genuine lovebirds. The instrumentation is complimentary and dramatic in equal measure, allowing the lyrics to shine and the story to be told in the best possible way. Spain have unearthed two artistic gems here and hopefully their story charms an international audience too.

Tom

I’ve been on the fence with this song but it has grown on me. Alfred and Amaia don’t have to pretend to be in love and it’s that genuine chemistry that lifts the song. This should get a decent result for Spain, I wish them well.

Yassia

Awwww…I find this song sooooo sweeet! … Captain Obvious here;) The song is truly lovely. I just hope that guys will make it vocally good on stage. I don’t think it’s top ten though, as it’s not good enough to reach this level.

Matt

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is beautiful! Alfred and Amaia’s chemistry is both an asset and a hindrance. Yes, they’re selling their very own real life Romeo and Juliet story, but the saccharine nature of how they show their love on stage will put off some voters. If they can tone down the sickly sweetness, this could place top 5.

Scores

Dominik  9 Nick  8 Tim  10
Hlynur  2 Riccardo  2.5 Tom  6
Lisa  1.5 Rigmo  7 Vincent  7.5
Luke  1 Rodrigo  9.5 Wiv  1
Matt  8 Ryan  8 Yassia  7.5
Miki  7 Sami  9
Nathan  10 Simon  5

Therefore, the average score for Spain is 6.29.

Leaderboard

The two lovebirds from Spain, Alfred and Amaia, land in the middle of our leaderboard at 18th, but I’m sure they won’t let that hinder the make-out session.

  1. Israel – 8.52
  2. Finland – 7.66
  3. Bulgaria – 7.63
  4. France – 7.50
  5. Belgium – 7.39
  6. F.Y.R. Macedonia – 7.24
  7. Sweden – 7.21
  8. Cyprus – 7.13
  9. Switzerland – 7.08
  10. Poland – 7.08
  11. Germany – 6.95
  12. Ukraine – 6.92
  13. Austria – 6.79
  14. Australia – 6.76
  15. Denmark – 6.55
  16. Lithuania – 6.50
  17. Italy – 6.39
  18. Spain – 6.29
  19. The Netherlands – 6.26
  20. Azerbaijan – 6.05
  21. Portugal – 6.05
  22. Slovenia – 6.00
  23. Estonia – 5.86
  24. Latvia – 5.61
  25. Norway – 5.55
  26. Albania – 5.50
  27. Ireland – 5.34
  28. Serbia – 5.05
  29. United Kingdom – 5.03
  30. Belarus – 4.97
  31. Malta – 4.97
  32. Moldova – 4.92
  33. Romania – 4.73
  34. Montenegro – 4.71
  35. Hungary – 4.65
  36. Armenia – 4.29
  37. Georgia – 4.18
  38. Iceland – 4.18
  39. Russia – 4.05
  40. San Marino – 4.03

Tomorrow, it will be the turn of Greece to be reviewed.

Do you agree with our reviews of Spain? What are your thoughts on Tu Canción?

Let us know in the comments below and on social media @ESCXTRA!

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