An Excellent Album way above the usual Eurovision stuff. (Eurovision Song Contest: Riga 2003)

Member Name: eyedo6789

Product:	Eurovision Song Contest: Riga 2003
Date:	03/03/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 8 very good songs

Disadvantages: Some garbage in between but this is to be expected.

Eurovision is a much maligned event and considered by many to be somewhat of a joke musically.

This may be true some of the time but the 2003 event held in Riga, Latvia was a definite exception and produced some very fine and original music. It might be best remembered for The United Kingdom's entry scoring "nil points" but that fact should just be considered and put aside as trivia because the contest and consequently this album has a lot to offer.

The contest was won by Turkey's Sertab Erener with "Every Way That I Can" which I personally thought was an average song and very much sounded like what could best be described as snake charming music. It may have won because this style was prominent at the time in the mainstream pop music starts.

The real quality on this album comes from "Open Your Heart" - Birgitta Haukdal (Iceland), "tbc" - T.A.T.U (Russia), Never Let You Go - Mando (Greece), "I'm Not Afraid To Move On" - Jostein Hasselgard (Norway), "Zadnych Granic" - Ich Troje (Poland), "Hello From Mars" - F.L.Y (Latvia), and "Eighties Coming Back - Rufus (Estonia)"

The Norwegian and Estonian entries were exceptionally good, the Icelandic one was very good and the Greek entry has one of the best high notes, in the middle of the song, that I have ever heard.

This album is well worth owning.

Full track listings:

1. Open Your Heart - Birgitta Haukdal (Iceland)
2. Weil Der Mensch Zahlt - Alf Poier (Austria)
3. We've Got The World Tonight - Mickey Harte (Ireland)
4. Every Way That I Can - Sertab Erener (Turkey)
5. To Dream Again - Lynn Chircop (Malta)
6. Ne Brini - Mija Martina Brabaric (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
7. Deixa-Me Sonhar - Rita Guerra (Portugal)
8. Vise Nisam Tvoja - Claudia (Croatia)
9. Feeling Alive - Stelios Konstantas (Cyprus)
10. Let's Get Happy - Lou (Germany)
11. tbc - T.A.T.U (Russia)
12. Dime - Beth (Spain)
13. Many Word For Love - Lior Narkis (Israel)
14. One More Night - Esther Hart (The Netherlands)
15. Cry Baby - Jemini (UK)
16. Hasta La Vista - Olexandr Ponomaryov (Ukraine)
17. Never Let You Go - Mando Greece)
18. I'm Not Afraid To Move On - Jostein Hasselgard (Norway)
19. Monts Et Merveilles - Louisa (France)
20. Zadnych Granic - Ich Troje (Poland)
21. Hello From Mars - F.L.Y (Latvia)
22. Sanomi - Urban Trad (Belgium)
23. Eighties Coming Back - Rufus (Estonia)
24. Don't Break My Heart - Nicola (Romania)
25. Give Me Your Love - Fame (Sweden)
26. Nanana - Karmen Stavec (Slovenia)

This review is also posted on www.ciao.co.uk
under my user name bella6789

Summary: You will be pleasantly surprised just how good this album is.