Bundesvision 2012: Saxony-Anhalt

What happens when an artist that you really like enters Bundesvision?  Well, if you're like me, you get all tingly and excited.  What happens when the song that this artist enters is really not one of her best?  You probably feel that this is a missed opportunity for some much deserved recognition.

Since I first heard Johanna Zeul, I have been in love with her music.  Some call her music "alternative folk".  I don't really get that.  Sure, she often plays an acoustic guitar, and her style is often stripped down to a very elemental form.  But that isn't necessarily folk in my book.  On her 2008 album, "Album Nr. 1", Zeul is definitely in the realm of alternative rock, with hints of Kristin Hersh and even Bjork.

Unfortunately, as I alluded to before, Zeul's entry for Bundesvision 2012, Sandmann, is nowhere near the best showcase of her songwriting or performing talent.  It is stripped down alternative rock like her other music, but Sandmann is stripped of the quirky hooks that make many of her other songs so appealing.  In short, this is a very interesting and exciting artist performing a fairly run of the mill song. 

My prediction:  I wish I had something better to say here, but I'll be shocked if Johanna Zeul's Sandmann does any better than the bottom third of the competition.  I just don't think there's enough depth or edge here to really excite the audience.

The Just Discovered File: Mallu Magalhaes

This is my first installment of hopefully many that I am calling "The Just Discovered File". It will be a quick blurb noting an artist that I have somehow stumbled across whom I find interesting and exciting.

Anyway, my first entry in the "File" is Mallu Magalhaes from Brazil. At the ripe old age of 17, this innovative songwriter is already on her second album (both albums are called "Mallu Magalhaes"), and is taking Brazil by storm.

Her music is a mix of folk, rock, reggae, and any number of other styles you can mention. But what pulls them all together is her compelling yet vulnerable voice, fun lyrics in both Portuguese and English, and incredibly catchy tunes.

So far, she's not on iTunes or Amazon in the U.S.. You can find her on Amazon.de and Amazon.fr though, if you're willing to pay for shipping (which, by the way, is a couple of Euros cheaper from France).