Cascada - Glorious (Review (The Cheesy Eurovision Edition))

Today is the final of the Eurovision song contest and it's an hour before it airs in my country! Now one of my favorite contenders this year to be the winner of Eurovision 2013 is Germany's entry this year which is Glorious by the world famous Cascada. Unlike the UK, sorry to bash my country but it's true we suck with out entries, apart from Jade Ewen, Germany have took a good card out of the deck and have crowned Cascada as their representatives for this year. So I decided to review Glorious. I know it's a lot different to my Japanese music reviews but with Eurovision airing tonight I knew I had to review this song.

Cascada is a band that I grew up listening to since their first single Everytime We Touch and they've gone through quite a transformation since their debut and they are pretty famous in the dance scene in Europe now. So when I found out they were performing in Eurovision this year I was quite shocked yet so excited to see what they had up their sleeves. I was quite shocked because a lot of UK acts have used Eurovision as an excuse to push themselves back into the spotlight which doesn't work, but luckily Cascada have managed to maintain popularity since their debut. And their vocalist Natalie Horner is one of the best vocalists I have heard out there in my music favourites.

Now I decided to in this review express my opinions on not just the song but also the performance because I saw it for the first time in the semi-final performance and it gave me goosebumps from the get go. I'm not just saying this because I love Natalie Horner, but because I went through some years where I hadn't listened to Cascada at all. So this year is the first event in a while where I've listened to them again, and Natalie's voice is still as amazing as ever, if not better than when I last heard her. And she is also one of them rare talents where they sound amazing in both recordings and live performances.

Now I was very happy with this performance because it still maintained the pink colour scheme that it had from the music video. I also loved the simplicity of it because out of Eurovision all of my favourite acts have always had simple performances and not over the top stage performances that a lot of countries use in Eurovision. The simple staging in this performance was a platform with stairs leading to the real stage, two backing singers and white drapes that were used well so they could change colour depending on the lighting which was also very simple and didn't distract away from the performance itself. Just Natalie's amazing vocals did it justice by itself and I loved how the backing singers didn't try to sing too loud because sometimes backing singers can really clash with the main vocalists badly.

Natalie's costume was also very pretty and I loved how it matched the drapes of the stage but also maintained the classical costume that she has worn in Cascada performances in previous years. The top half which looks like some sort of sparkly corset reminded me of the Because the Night music video so I loved the connection with that. She also wore a simple, short, white skirt with a lace trail at the back to add an elegance to it. And I cannot deny that it showcased her beautiful legs well. She might as well add some sexiness to get votes eh? ;)

When I was watching this performance it actually felt like I was watching a winners performance and I loved the energy that Natalie was showcasing throughout the song and that's a quality I love in her as a performer. She knows how to work the song, the crowd and still maintain the emotion of the song whilst also maintaining the technicality of her amazing vocals. I am not lying but I had chills throughout the performance! And it made me love the song all the more! I also think her voice sounds just like the recorded version but it had a more raw sound to it in the performance to add more raw emotion in it and she knows how to belt a good chorus!

Now in terms of the song itself I think it's a very impressive song for a Eurovision entry and to also cater to Cascada's original fan base. The song maintains that same formula of verse, chorus, long instrumental, verse, chorus, long instrumental, chorus. It allows the classical European dance sound to emit itself in classical Cascada style, so it makes me want to dance to it like I would do with any other Cascada track. However, in terms of lyrics and how the chorus' are so powerful and carry the themes of believing in yourself, it also conforms itself well to the typical poppy formula that is seen in Eurovision.

In terms of competition, I can't say for sure whether Cascada will win but they have a pretty good chance, They are pretty popular all over Europe so just the mention of their name may give them votes. However, there are some other fantastic acts in Eurovision this year and in such a huge competition like this it's never easy to predict a winner for certain. Even if she doesn't win I know for sure she'll be a very high ranking in the table! I just gotta listen through a long hour or so of the points being tallied by the different countries!

Who do you think will win Eurovision this year?