Maria Inês Paris - "Bandeira Azul"
A very Portuguese voice with a very Brazilian rhythm. Maria Inés performed extremely well vocally but somehow there was always a feeling that she was not fully comfortable on stage. While the song is pleasant enough, there is nothing particularly special or groundbreaking about it. Feels like something you would hear at a hotel reception and wouldn’t be misplaced.
Maria Inês Paris - "Bandeira Azul"
A very Portuguese voice with a very Brazilian rhythm. Maria Inés performed extremely well vocally but somehow there was always a feeling that she was not fully comfortable on stage. While the song is pleasant enough, there is nothing particularly special or groundbreaking about it. Feels like something you would hear at a hotel reception and wouldn’t be misplaced.
Diogo Piçarra - "Canção do Fim"
This is simply perfect. It captures perfectly the Portuguese spirit and sounds as honest as they can be. This was the hot favourite to win and would have been a worthy successor to Salvador. Diogo’s voice, the lyrics, the music and the whole ensemble are magical.
David Pessoa - "Amor Veloz"
There is really nothing memorable about this. David’s voice is not exceptional, the song is tried and tested and sounds dated and trying too hard to be something it’s not… Not the type of song that leaves you wanting to hear more or play on repeat. Is it awful? No. Is it special? Also no.
Cláudia Pascoal - "O Jardim"
An understated performance and a song that is simple but beautiful. I love the honesty and peace of this performance, and particularly like the moment when the backup singer joins in to give it a life for the final chorus. The atmosphere that Cláudia manages to create during her performance is magical. Not quite the level of Salvador, but in a different way she kind of gets there. Peace, peace, peace.
Minnie e Rhayra - "Patati Patata”
The song is awful, and the performance is no better. The transition to multi-language is clunky, and the English part is just cringe-worthy. Not much else to say. Nothing of value in this one.
Susana Travassos - "Mensageira"
Like many songs to have featured in FdC throughout the years, the biggest problem with this song is its lack of memorability. The added problem is that Susana really struggled with her performance during the semifinal and was off key for a considerable part of the song. Her voice is also too nasal for my taste, so overall this was rather disastrous for me.
Lili - "O Voo das Cegonhas"
If there is anything that particularly stands out about this song, without a doubt, that is its remarkably beautiful lyrics. Lili delivers a good performance with a beautiful voice and the overall package works quite well for me.
Peter Serrado - "Sunset"
This is not a genre that we are used to seeing in a Portuguese selection, but Peter’s North American connection translates to this wonderful country entry. His voice blends perfectly with the style and the overall result is wonderful. He performed it confidently and competently and it was surprising to see the juries almost completely ignore him.
Dora - "Arco-Íris (assim cantou Zaratustra)"
The very tired transition from black and white to colour is the first disaster of this song. The rest is that it really goes nowhere, it’s three minutes of blandness… which was reflected in the dreaded nul points. A very poor effort, there really was nothing close to being memorable about this entry.
Sequin - "All Over Again"
Sequin managed to deliver some of the weakest vocals that I’ve heard in the entire season. Her voice was shaky throughout the performance and she never seemed to be properly at ease on stage. This felt more karaoke than professional singing! The song itself is pretty poor, which at various times seems extremely disjointed. One of the poorest efforts of this year’s FdC.
Tamin - "Sobre Nós"
When this kicks off, it is very promising. And the song itself is quite alright without being anything amazing. But Tamin´s performance, particularly when singing what with a bit of good faith can be considered a chorus, is lacking. Her vocals are poor and she struggled to stay on key.
Rita Ruivo -"Anda Daí"
This is what I imagined a fancy karaoke would have looked and sounded had karaoke been a thing in the glorious 80s. Rita’s singing is lackluster, her voice is tediously nasal and weak as they come. Her presence on stage is close to none, and she seems to have forgotten for most of the song that this is a TV show and interaction with the camera is important. The song itself sounds dated in the worst possible way. To me, this is the worst song of FdC 2018.
Daniela Onís - "P'ra Lá do Rio"
I actually quite like this and think it would have been a more worthy finalist than many from this (and the other) semi that did make it. Probably a better interaction with the camera would have helped her with the televote, but Daniela’s voice is beautiful and the lyrics of the song are great. So this is one that I intend to continue listening even if it was not recognised by the Portuguese.
Diogo Piçarra - "Canção do Fim"
This is simply perfect. It captures perfectly the Portuguese spirit and sounds as honest as they can be. This was the hot favourite to win and would have been a worthy successor to Salvador. Diogo’s voice, the lyrics, the music and the whole ensemble are magical.
David Pessoa - "Amor Veloz"
There is really nothing memorable about this. David’s voice is not exceptional, the song is tried and tested and sounds dated and trying too hard to be something it’s not… Not the type of song that leaves you wanting to hear more or play on repeat. Is it awful? No. Is it special? Also no.
Cláudia Pascoal - "O Jardim"
An understated performance and a song that is simple but beautiful. I love the honesty and peace of this performance, and particularly like the moment when the backup singer joins in to give it a life for the final chorus. The atmosphere that Cláudia manages to create during her performance is magical. Not quite the level of Salvador, but in a different way she kind of gets there. Peace, peace, peace.
Minnie e Rhayra - "Patati Patata”
The song is awful, and the performance is no better. The transition to multi-language is clunky, and the English part is just cringe-worthy. Not much else to say. Nothing of value in this one.
Susana Travassos - "Mensageira"
Like many songs to have featured in FdC throughout the years, the biggest problem with this song is its lack of memorability. The added problem is that Susana really struggled with her performance during the semifinal and was off key for a considerable part of the song. Her voice is also too nasal for my taste, so overall this was rather disastrous for me.
Lili - "O Voo das Cegonhas"
If there is anything that particularly stands out about this song, without a doubt, that is its remarkably beautiful lyrics. Lili delivers a good performance with a beautiful voice and the overall package works quite well for me.
Peter Serrado - "Sunset"
This is not a genre that we are used to seeing in a Portuguese selection, but Peter’s North American connection translates to this wonderful country entry. His voice blends perfectly with the style and the overall result is wonderful. He performed it confidently and competently and it was surprising to see the juries almost completely ignore him.
Dora - "Arco-Íris (assim cantou Zaratustra)"
The very tired transition from black and white to colour is the first disaster of this song. The rest is that it really goes nowhere, it’s three minutes of blandness… which was reflected in the dreaded nul points. A very poor effort, there really was nothing close to being memorable about this entry.
Sequin - "All Over Again"
Sequin managed to deliver some of the weakest vocals that I’ve heard in the entire season. Her voice was shaky throughout the performance and she never seemed to be properly at ease on stage. This felt more karaoke than professional singing! The song itself is pretty poor, which at various times seems extremely disjointed. One of the poorest efforts of this year’s FdC.
Tamin - "Sobre Nós"
When this kicks off, it is very promising. And the song itself is quite alright without being anything amazing. But Tamin´s performance, particularly when singing what with a bit of good faith can be considered a chorus, is lacking. Her vocals are poor and she struggled to stay on key.
Rita Ruivo -"Anda Daí"
This is what I imagined a fancy karaoke would have looked and sounded had karaoke been a thing in the glorious 80s. Rita’s singing is lackluster, her voice is tediously nasal and weak as they come. Her presence on stage is close to none, and she seems to have forgotten for most of the song that this is a TV show and interaction with the camera is important. The song itself sounds dated in the worst possible way. To me, this is the worst song of FdC 2018.
Daniela Onís - "P'ra Lá do Rio"
I actually quite like this and think it would have been a more worthy finalist than many from this (and the other) semi that did make it. Probably a better interaction with the camera would have helped her with the televote, but Daniela’s voice is beautiful and the lyrics of the song are great. So this is one that I intend to continue listening even if it was not recognised by the Portuguese.