Melodifestivalen 2013 Heat Three: Preliminary Judgement

Finally! After two weeks of below-average quality, there seems to be some winners in this bunch. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town tomorrow so I won't be live blogging. I will be watching later that day, though, and plan to "live blog" at a slightly later schedule (hey, it's habit!), so check back here several hours after the competition's ended.

(Listen to clips here)

Eddie Razaz - Alibi
This sounds quite similar to previous solo-male tracks that have already been performed this year. For now, I'd say it's better than David Lindgren, worse than Anton Ewald... but that can definitely change when I hear the full version. 4/5

Elin Petersson - Island
Well, she's continuing the tradition of the "webbjoker" by being really boring. It sounds like there might be a pleasant melody in here somewhere, but it's so damn slow.  2.5/5

Ravaillacz - En riktig jävla schlager (A Real Damn Schlager)
We haven't had any old man "dansband" type of music this year (which is surprising), so I guess this fits the bill. It sounds okay, but a little "backyard hoedown" for my taste. I hope it's not a threat to some of the better acts this week. 2.5/5

Amanda Fondell - Dumb
Since she's a Swedish Idol winner, I'd imagine she enters with a certain amount of favoritism. I really like the sound of this song (very Marina and the Diamonds), but it doesn't sound like something that fits with this competition. It'll be interesting to see what happens. 3.5/5

Martin Rolinski - In And Out Of Love
Yes, yes, yes! This was probably my most anticipated track in this year's competition and it doesn't sound like it's going to disappoint. Even from the small clip, I can tell the chorus is incredibly catchy and fun. I PRAY that this advances, though I imagine it could have a bit of trouble in a strong heat. 4.5/5

Caroline Af Ugglas - Hon har inte (She Doesn't Have)
I'm a huge fan of her last Melodifestivalen track, and while this doesn't sound like it's as strong, it's still nice to hear her again. I reserve judgement until I hear the final version, as it's really hard to "get" her songs from a short clip. 3/5

State Of Drama - Falling
For some reason, I was expecting a much poppier, uptempo track. This is like 90's grunge rock minus the grunge. I don't know how to feel about it. It's not horrible, but seems an odd fit this week. 2.5/5

Janet Leon - Heartstrings
This arrives with high expectations (as in, it's been forecasted by some to win the entire thing). I don't see that happening. I mean, it's certainly no Euphoria. It sounds like a nice uptempo dance track with a competent, if not overly excited female vocal. Should be good, but nothing groundbreaking.  3.5/5

So there you go! I don't hate any of the songs, which is refreshing. If I had my way, Martin and Eddie/Amanda/Janet would make it through. I'm thinking Caroline and Amanda have a great chance here, but we'll see tomorrow.