MALL

EUGENT BUSHPEPA 

SECHUK JURY

Rating

 174.5/240 (72.7%)

A L B A N I A

LES DOUZE

UK JURY TOTAL   

84.0

INTERNATIONAL JURY TOTAL  

90.5

NAME

COMMENT

SCORE

NAME

COMMENT

SCORE

01

David B

Well, this is an encouraging start to the 2018 season! Good vocal range, an interesting melody and a slightly hypnotic beat threading its way through the song. Will it survive the inevitable makeover though?

7

José

First time in many years that Albania choose an exciting entry. Eugene has a powerful voice, and this time I advice Albania , to keep the entry in Albanian, this time the language fits exactly with the song, don't mess it and focus on presenting a powerful show.

8

02

 Martin

"Mall" is a journey, a rite of passage, a soft rock masterpiece.  Eugent nails this song every performance, his voice providing such incredible power and tone, the music carrying the listener along with him so that 270 seconds pass by effortlessly. Hopefully a time revamp won't lose this entry's magic.

9.5

Mark L

How do Albania keep finding these amazing singers? And this time they have a also found a great contemporary song, I really like this a lot and feel is has to do well.

8

03

David E

A nice contemporary folk-rock ballad competently delivered by Albania ’s very own Bono.  Strong vocals and an authentic sound that doesn’t sound purpose made for Eurovision should help this stand out in Lisbon .  Whilst not a winner I can see this qualifying for the final relatively easily.

7.5

Amar

Strong vocal and arrangement but nothing really stand out about this one. This definitely still has potential and hopefully Albania will work some magic with the revamp, but I can't see this dominating the leaderboard in May. 

6.5

04

Dean

Crikey we’re off to a fantastic start with this song from Albania .  Rumour is it will stay in Albanian, and and why not?  Rousing and emotional, I can see this having mass appeal.  A definite qualifier and surely Top 10 in the final. Superb.

8.5

Paul C

A very different and surprising election from Albania compared to what they sent in the past. It is a very refreshing and mellow rock song, I like it although it lacks a bit of something - maybe a little dull at times - anyway, Eugent has a great voice, great look and made an excellent performance.

7.5

05

Matt

I like this one as it has quite an uplifting melody and is quite 'pic n mix' in style and feel.  You never quite know what's going to happen next.  And he has an excellent live vocal too.  But hard to see which 90 seconds they'll have to drop.

7

Octavio

This song is full of real emotion, and got an interesting mystique sound. The overall melody is nice, he have a great voice and this is refreshing to hear a mellow rock song from Albania after years. I hope he's serious with keeping the song in Albanian and it gets properly shortened for ESC without destroying the charm.

8

06

Gary

A much-welcome change of direction for Albania . A really strong performance of a rousing song which is one of their best entries .. solid, classy and powerful .. great choice! I'll be shocked if this isn't in my top 5 in May. Excellent - great result deserved!

9

Melissa

This is a great entry from Albania and “Mall” is one of the best songs to come out of Festivali I Kenges in years! The song is well written, has a warm uplifting quality and Eugent’s voice is spot on here - the boy can really sing! Awesome stage presence too.

8

07

Edward

A gentle and pleasant song, combining pop and folk elements.  Bushpepa is a strong performer and will deliver his own material well in Lisbon .  It will doubtlessly—and mistakenly—get translated into English, diminishing its charm.  Some good chordal variation and some build, but does it have a standout moment?

5.5

Elena

Very Ed Sheeran! Modern, catchy and easy to listen to. The singer has a very good voice, but his stage presence is pretty much non existent, the song will also need to be shortened, which usually doesn't end well. But overall this is a pleasant surprise from Albania .

7.5

08

Sally-Ann

As the first song to be chosen, Albania has a lot of expectation to live up to. The gentle, melodic verses lull one into a false sense of security, before a too-harsh chorus that jars at times and mars what otherwise could be a lovely song.  Tone it down, Eugent, and you could do well.

5

Roberto

7.5

09

Kevin

After listening to this a couple of times I must say it’s a catchy tune with a nice vocal presentation.  Eugent is not new to the music scene with several top 10 hits over the last 10 years.  I don’t think this will be the final cut of the song but wish him well in Lisbon 2018

5

Samantha

A driving, yet steady beat, a charismatic front man with a stellar voice...what else could I possibly ask for at FiKmas? I absolutely love this, and really hope the delegation has a steady and delicate hand with the edits needed to get this song to 3 minutes

8

10

Nico

It seems like it's been a while since Albania selected an entry that wasn't a woman who was looking for the slightest excuse to demonstrate her vocal acrobatics by howling pointlessly. This is a pleasant surprise. There's a timely hint of Christmas about it too. I'm feeling optimistic about a rousing 3 minute version.

8

Douwe

Following 4 years of sending a female vocalist with only 1 of them reaching the final (Elhaida), the mould has been broken and Eugent will sing 'Mall' for Albania . This mellow, dreamy rock song is a force to be reckoned with and was possibly the most prepared for Lisbon . Musically rich, powerful and solid.

7.5

11

Mark M

Beautiful singer and a really credible, building song that I think could qualify for Albania .

7

Benedek

This is a pretty good song, the problem is that it doesn't stand out in any way. Its pleasant the guy has a good voice. I think it will be hard for him to qualify unless the song will be revamped really well. For me its a screaming song not moving me at all. This is a sure non qualifier.

4

12

Danny

Well at least they are trying something different this year. This is quite interesting and Eugent is a good performer but I'm not sure it will have enough mass appeal to gather enough votes to qualify, but it's early days yet! Let's see what the season brings!

5

Daria

Classic never gets old or outdated! Amazing sound (thanks to orchestra!) and very beautiful voice! It's just too sad they will spoil it... Where can I sign petition for not changing it? Just make it 3 mins and not re-write the whole song! 

10

  AMAR

  ANDREW

  BENEDEK

  CHRISTOS

  DANNY

  DARIA

  DAVID B

  DAVID E

 2

  DEAN

  DOUWE

  EDDIE

  EDWARD

  ELENA

  FREDERICO

  GARY

  JOE

 0

  JOSÉ

  KEVIN

  LLOYD

  MARK L

  MARK M

  MARTIN

  MATT

  MELISSA

 1

  NICO

  OCTAVIO

  PAUL

  PIA

  ROBERTO

  ROY  

  SALLY-ANN

  SAMANTHA  

 8