The Cali Garmo

Continuing in the 1st semifinal, we're up to Russia!

Russia generally does fairly well in the Eurovision Song contest. It has won one time back in 2008, received second place three times and has gotten in third twice. And since it began in 1994 it's no wonder that Russia is a Eurovision powerhouse. Usually boosted by 'political voting' Russia tends to at least make it into the finals every year. This year, they're hoping that the Tolmachevy Sisters will help them win gold once again. These sisters are used to the Eurovision stage, winning the Junior Eurovision song contest back in 2006 when they were just 9 years old. Shortly after their win, they released an album in 2007 and also made an appearance in the first semifinals in 2009 as one of the interval acts. This year, they're hoping to win the adult version of the show with their song 'Shine'. Let's break down the song and see whether it has a chance.

"Shine" brings back memories of Eurovision gone by. The song seems to come directly out of the late 2000's and would likely have had a god shot of winning back then. The happy song with two powerful singers is fun to listen to and the thunder sounds in the background add a fun mix to the song. Although with a changing ear the Eurovision crowd will likely not let this song win this year. Recently they are looking for an act that can actually give some power to their thoughts and this song is to plain. They'll likely get through to the finals as usual and will likely go ahead of most of the competition and finish top 10, but I doubt they will end up winning the competition.

Click here to view the Tolmachevy sister's participant profile at Eurovision.tv