My review:
MOLDOVA 2020 - Natalia Gordienko - Prison: "the Dream Team is a prison we can't escape from"
I see Moldova as the jester of the contest in general, and I mean that in a good way, for they very often offer entertaining acts other nations (except maybe sistah Romania) would not send or pull off. Of course, they have their weak years, but whenever that happens they usually make up for it the year after. Surprisingly, the successor of Anna Odobescu and her telenovela tribute did not keep that promise. I feel like Kirkorov and Kontopoulos get bored a little bit more every year and it's increasingly difficult to have a Dream Team-free Eurovision edition. To be honest, although it was sad to face the cancellation of the contest, I did not shed a tear about "Prison", "Superg!rl" and "What Love Is" going to the trash compactor: I seldom appreciate their songs because they have that cookie-cutter Eurovision-y quality to them that irks me.
I was able to follow the Moldovan NF for the first time ever and I enjoyed it much more than expected! To me, they proved that - even on a budget - one can select an entertaining bunch of acts with visuals and complete performances, which makes me guess that the producer of Eesti Laul deliberately picks samey songs and couldn't care less about working on stagings... Back to Moldova, it was odd to see Gordienko perform second, as if it would detract from Kirkorov's bribing every time he is behind a song
I was rather uninpressed by the live performance, Gordienko reminds me of Charlotte Perrelli physically and vocally for some reason... Any power the composition might have was lost due to sketchy vocals (and it seems they lowered the pitch), and the staging wasn't even the best of the night imo. A pure damp squib. Valentin Uzun & Irina Kovalsky's "Moldovita" (for the classic Moldovan uptempo act) and Lavinia Rusu's "Touch" (for the infectious pop jam) and Dianna Rotaru's "Dale Dale" (haha what a banger!) would have been my picks.
On a musical level, I'd say "Prison" was the best out of the three Dream Team songs this edition. Actually, it does not start too bad, the intro followed by the melodic motif used throughout the verses is rather memorable and at first made me want to hear how it would develop. The pre-chorus is a let down though, it just reminds me of the dripping saccharine of "Stay", which is a red flag for my brain. Thankfully, it quickly transitions to the aforementioned motif accompanied by a couple of beats and a bassline that create tension, which I like. And then comes the chorus, aka my second disappointment: it's void, un-catchy and anticlimactic. And that's pretty much it since the rest of the song is basically a repeat of the first minute. To sum up, there was a motif to take advantage of and a few elements that could have made a good entry, but they are wasted by cheesy/expendable parts, a pretty unexciting structure as well as sparse old-fashioned arrangements. I love me some throwback/vintage entry, but this is not how you do it imo. There is very little substance in this song for me, but that applies to most Kontopoulos' works. Oh and lyrically: nothing to report.
Prediction-wise, since Dream Team songs have a habit of qualifying, I guess it might have had of chance of sneaking through despite the ballad-heavy semi 2 because it kind of "stands out". In the final, I guess a 15th-18th position would have been doable?
To whoever reads my reviews, I'm sorry for being so critical and nitpicking, but this 2020 edition really did not light my fire, to say the least. I read Gordienko will probably come back next year, which is okay. I hope she'll have a song she can actually sing this time around, but since now people can resort to pre-recorded backing voices... It shouldn't matter anymore. I personally don't expect to like her new song since the same people will write it, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.