Euroviisut - the songs, part 3

Friday will see the third and last semi in Finland, and four songs will work it out who will go straight into the final and who will rumble in the Second Chance round.

1. JENNA - Sinua varten 3/5
Last year's Tango Queen goes Euroviisut with a style far removed from Finnish Tango, written by NylonBeat's old genius Risto Asikainen. What comes up is an adorably sweet little pop number, with a very soft and tender sound and a clever arrangement. Jenna looks like a tiny sweet and delivers the whole thing in a convincing way. Unfortunately, there is not enough of a hook to make this a serious contender in an international pop contest. More than good enough to make heavy rotation on the domestic radio stations, but not a universal smash.

2. CRISTAL SNOW - Can't save me 2/5
Cristal Snow is an interesting figure, well renowned in the Helsinki Gay Circuit after winning the title Miss Drag Queen 2006. Anyone thinking DQ or Sestre here would have something else coming, though. Musically, Cristal Snow is far more challenging with a deliberately trashy mix of pop, punk and a touch of Bowie. Not bad. And this could have been very promising, but disappointingly enough, this is mainly a re-hash of Cristal's hit single "Cristal clear" that was played a lot on air last winter. Europe wouldn't know about it, but this version is weaker and less inventive. The chorus is good, but the rest of the package feels a bit unfinished. A great shame - this could have been one of the most interesting things Finland ever sent off.

3. VUOKKO HOVATTA - Virginia 2/5
Kerkko Koskinen rides again - the genius behind UltraBra, "Shanghain valot" and last week's qualifyer "Milloin". You instantly recognise his sound, and this song (about Virigina Woolf) starts out nicely. This could be something along the lines of classic Euroviisut ballads like "An Actress" from 2005, but it gets lost somewhere along the way. There is no real chorus, and nothing to really hang on to. Vuokko sings it very well, but it would take a miracle to turn this song into a contender.

4. TERÄSBETONI - Missä miehet ratsastaa 1/5
And then, finally, the song I fear. Is this the number that the heavy metal fans will vote to victory on March 1st? It is not impossible. This is a mixture of drums, guitars, viking symbols and "Dschingis Khan" and something in the back of my head tells me that it will impress all the wrong people who will vote like maniacs for it. What is wrong with that, then? Lordi did well, didn't they? True, but Lordi could sing. There was a tune, and there was a touch of style to the whole thing. This is just loud, insensitive and severely lacking in the voice department. Could be a winner, but a very unlucky choice, if so.

My prediction:
The viewers will probably vote Jenna and Teräsbetoni into the final this Friday. But if the number of voters are low, the fans of Cristal Snow could upset the figures, and then he could possibly knock out Jenna. We shall see.