ESC 2010 Reviews: Slovakia

Ok, after the long, in-depth entries on Russia and Serbia, I hate to say this, but my piece on Slovakia will be disturbingly short.  They send three entries to the ESC back in the mid-to-late nineties, but never scored higher than 18th place.  None of these songs really even stick out in my mind.  After a disappointing result in the 1998 contest, they withdrew and didn't come back until last year, when they sent Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková to sing "Let' Tmou (Fly Through the Darkness)", a dramatic ballad that failed to leave any impression on voters.

This year, Slovakia has gone from perpetual underdog to one of the most talked-about entries of the year.  Kristína Peláková will be representing her homeland with "Horehronie", a song about the eponymous region in Slovakia.

I know that many people liked "Let' Tmou", but to me, this feels like more of a homecoming song than Kamil and Nela gave us last year.  It's danceable, has regional flair, Kristína's adorable, and the song as a whole paints Slovakia in a fantastic light.  It's being performed in the first semifinal, and I would be shocked to not see this qualify.  I predict that Slovakia will not only beat its own personal best placement of 18th, but it might crack the Top 5 or 10, if she performs as well on the ESC stage as she did in her National Final a few months ago.

And, if all else fails, the Slovak Tourism Board now has its new ad campaign in the bag!