EUROVISION ON TOP

Tom Dice - "Teardrops" - From runner up in flemish X Factor to top 6 in Eurovision, Tom Dice has come a long way. This is his first album and is pretty good. It includes his ESC entry of course but the highlight of the album for me is " Murderer" which is truly  brilliant. Follow up single to  "Me and my guitar " is "Lucy" which is also nice , and "Carry our burden " also shows the quality in Toms voice. " A soldier for his country" is a memorably haunting track.The album is a showcase for his vocal talents, which are quite impressive. I'm sure its the first of many. Michael Williams  *****

Lena - "My cassette player" - What can i say about an album that includes the track "I like to bang my head" ? Well, this album is very Lily Allen in style. Lena's voice can be a little annoying to some english speakers, the accents shes tries to create are quite quirky and distracting ( listen to how she pronounces "Caterpillar"). Having said that there are some pretty good tracks here , "Satellite" , of course, but also, "My cassette player",  "Not following", and "Mr Curiosity". Its certainly fresh and young and I'm sure Lena will have plenty of fans. Michael Williams  ***** 

Jessy Matador - "Electro Soukouss" - Since "Buraka Sound System", started to mix Kuduro sounds with electronic and rapp, several artists were very influenced by that. MIA is just an example. Now Jessy Matador! This is a perfect CD for this period. Maybe it sounds a bit all the same but when you listen to it continuisly you will notice it is a very energetic work. if you like African rythms we recomend "Kariyimha" and "Encore une histoire". "Bomba" is the new single. ***** 

Paolo Meneguzzi - "Mi ami" - Excellent album from Paolo which shows what a great and emotional voice he has, which is a far cry from his nervous performance at ESC 2008. There are many great tracks on this album , particularly the title track "Mi ami", "Federica", "imprevedibile" and "noi". Its a mix of uptempo pop songs and typically italian power ballads, "La voglia" and "Mia missione" are fantastic. Highly recommended. *****

Safura - "It's my war" - This CD is very actual and the ESC song is only a small example of this good production. Some of this songs would be perfect Smash Hits by the hand of Rihanna or Beyoncé. The second single "March on" is probably not the best choice after Drip Drop. It is a good choice for this summer if you like R'n'B. *****

Flor de Lis - "Signo Solar" - Signo solar is the first studio album from 2009 portuguese entrants flor-de-lis. Crystal clear vocals from Daniela Varela shine thru on this album , which  you dont have to be a fan of folk music to enjoy. Stand out tracks for me are, the title track "signo solar" , "preludio maria" and "ritmo do mundo". *****

Zeljko Joksimovic - "Ljubavj" - The 5th album from Zeljko  (esc 05,06,08 ), is  just what fans of his ESC entries would expect, great ballads with powerful vocals and great atmospheric  backing tracks. The title track "Ljubavj" is the stand-out track on the album. Others to look out for include, "nepoznat broj" , a great ethno-pop track,  " idu dani, a mellow ballad , and the 2nd single from the album , "zena za sva vremena". *****

Rosa - "Propriedad de nadie" - Rosa is back with a mellow collection of  mostly slow ballads, soft and subtle . A must for ballad lovers.

*****

Martin Stenmarck - "Septemberland" - Martin stenmark returns with a stunning 5th album . The 2005 swedish representative shows off his fantastic voice with a collection of great new tracks . Look out for the stand-out track "exlposionen" . A superb album.    *****

Laura - "Ultra" - The 2nd album from Laura Poldvere (Suntribe ,ESC semi final, Estonia 2005) is a great mix of electro/ethereal melodies, accompanied by distinctive vocals. Great album to chillout to. Very atmospheric , and very different. Highly recommended.
*****

David Civera - Podemos elegir - 10 th album from david civera ( esc spain 2001) . Mostly mid tempo ballads with few surprises. The voice is still as distinctive as ever, but the album is a little predictable.*****

Cliff Richard & The Shadows (Reunited) - "A perfect CD to remember a great carreer"

*****

Dulce Pontes (Momentos) - "A set of 2 CDs with the best from the Portuguese Diva!"

*****

Francine Jordi (Meine kleine grosse welt) - "A very nice and relax work from Francine"

*****

Hari Mata Hari (Sréca) - "Always good to listen this great singer"

*****

Jan Johansen (Minnen) - "All the best from the best Pop Rock singer from Sweden. A very complete album"

*****

Intars Busulis (Kino) - "A very nice and funny work full of jazz, funk, pop and rock sounds"

*****

Jill Johnson (Music Row II) - "Just a very good swedish singer singing rock and american country  songs again "

*****

Carola (Christmas in Bethlehem) - "Definitely recommended"

*****

Kate Ryan (French Connection) – “Kate Ryan returns to the spotlights with a french language album that compiles some hits of her successful career”.

*****

Malena Ernman (La voix du Nord) – "Owner of an exceptional voice, the mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman did a perfect fusion between opera and other musical genres, namely pop music”.

*****

Benny Andersson Band (Story of a heart) – “This album mixes a variety of musical styles, with a strong influence of the Swedish folk. ‘Story of a heart’ track reminds ABBA’s sound!”.

*****

Dmitry Koldun (Koldun) – “This is a long-awaited album by Dmitry’s fans! In his debut album, Koldun sings in Russian and English, with a pop-rock sound”.

*****

Mumiy Troll (Conrade Ambassador) – “A very peculiar musical style, or you like it a lot or nothing!”.

*****

Sarit Hadad (Life as a race) – “A quality album that doesn’t deny the strong influence of the rhythms of the Middle East”.

*****

Jalisse (Siedi e ascolta) – “Two beautiful voices that present a work of great quality, brightened by the beauty of the Italian language”.

*****

Hadise (Kahraman) – “This is the first Turkish-language album of the singer that mixes R&B and Electropop with the Turkish rhythms”.

*****

Sertab Erener & Demir Demirkan (Painted on water) – “With this album Sertab breaks her pop style and presents a quality work with jazzy sonority”.

*****

Franco Battiato (Inneres Auge – Il tutto è più della somma delle sue parti )- "the return of a great man in Italian Music"

*****

Roger Cicero (Art Gerecht) - "this is a very professional work"

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Jeroen van der Boom (Verder) - "This work will definitely please all Jeroen’s fans and will conquer some more."

*****

No Angels (Welcome to the dance) - "They really deserves a better recognition."

*****

Jari Sillanpaa (Kuin Elokuvissa) - "this is one of the best works from Jari"

*****

José Cid (Coisas do amor e do mar) - "With 67 years old and a legacy of more than 20 records, José Cid is only beginning a new phase of her big career"

*****

Boaz Mauda (Boaz) - "He is probably the male version of Ofra Haza"

*****

Kasia Kowalska (Antepenultimate) - "The sweet girl we saw in Eurovision is now a great pop-rock star"

*****

Kenan Dogulu (Patron) - "The turkish Timberlake in a good mix of pop and world music"

*****

Rui Bandeira (O nosso amor) - "A nice latin album. The best of it are the ballads"

 *****

Les fatals picards (Le sens de la gravité) - "they are always funny and original"

*****

Andrezj Piaseczny (Spis rzeczy ulubionych) - "a very good voice in perfect interpretations"

*****

Sara Tavares (Xinti) - "she's now a good musician and bring the best of Africa into Europe"

*****

Regina (Vrijeme je) - "all songs in this album can be a hit"

*****

Waldo's People (Paranoid) - "good songs if you like this type of music and want to hear the same sound in a CD"

*****

Justina Stechkosvka (To moj czas) - "Justina is unique. Only she can sing like that and transform simple songs in wonderful things"

*****

Gus Gus (24/7) - "Thin Ice or Add this song are the perfect themes for this Autumn"

*****

Patricia Kaas (Kabaret) - "a perfect gift full of sensuality"

*****

Alexander Rybak (Fairytales) - " he really knows how to play violin"

*****

Arash (Donya) - "Arash can make us dancing"

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Brinck (Repack) - "good pop songs from Denmark"

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Lara Fabian (Toutes les femmes en moi) - "always our sweet Lara"

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Love Bugs (Heighest Heights) - "They are getting better everiday. This album should be more popular around the world"

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