Albania's Hersi will be working with an English translation for her song "One Night's Anger." Will her unique vocal tone be enough to overcome an overworked Eurovision entry?
Country: Albania
Song Title: "One Night's Anger"
Artist: Hersi
Semi-Final: First, Position 6
Last year's entry: "Identity" - Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko (DNQ - 15th Place, SF2)
If Ukraine's entry was the most improved from debut to present version, Albania's selection "One Night's Anger" by Hersi may be the least improved. Sorry, Albania. Despite having almost as much time as Ukraine in terms of working out kinks, the song has become a muddled mess that removed what made the original song interesting.
Ben nailed it on the head in his First Semi-Final roundup when he described this song as too wordy. The result is a song that does not have time to breathe and build up to the anger this song is supposedly addressing. The instrumentation of this version does not provide a crescendo of emotion either. The piano intro of the original track did a fantastic job of setting the tone, but it is no surprise it got cut: the original version is over four minutes long.
What Hersi brings to the table is an interesting vocal tone. The only other act in the semi-final to have as unique a sound would be Sweden's Sanna Nielsen. If Hersi can translate her vocal skills into a compelling stage performance, the juries may pay attention. The song is radio friendly, which should give it some traction with televoters, but the wordiness of the lyrics prevent the song from becoming an earworm or sing along piece.
It may be a tall order to expect Albania to sneak into the final, but "One Night's Anger" should experience a better reception than last year's entry.