Review: “Pabandom iš naujo! 2023” (Lithuania)

Lithuania will select an artist and a song for Eurovision 2023 via the national selection “Pabandom iš naujo! 2023″.
30 artists began their way into the heat round, and 10 of them qualified for the final.
In this article, I will give my personal review of the songs:

#1.Beatrich – Like a Movie

It is a pop rock song, with some retro rock influences.
The song starts with a short instrumental part, composed of bass, electric guitar and drums.
The first verse is quite fast. She sings it with a mid tone voice, while being accompanied with pre-recorded backing vocals.
Pre-chorus relies more on the electric guitar.
In the chorus, she uses a more husky voice. The chorus is even faster and she moves a lot on stage.
The second verse continues along the same line.
The second chorus is longer.
The bridge starts with an electronic beat that transforms into an unplugged section and electric guitar.
The general genre reminds me of Avril Lavigne’s music in the 2000’s. The live performance relies on her attitude and charm.
Musically, it is consistent, but lacks a change in the melody from time to time.

#2.Gabrielius Vagelis – Šauksmas

It is a mid-tempo ballad.
The melody is based on piano playing.
The first verse is slow, and he uses some manners.
The atmosphere is romantic.
The chorus is based on cello playing, together with piano playing. Gabrielius sings it with a higher tone of voice. Towards the end, we can hear some drum playing.
A short instrumental part leads us to the second verse. It starts with a soft electro drum effect, and develops faster than the first verse. The cello adds another dimension to the melody.
The bridge is built on a combination of cello, piano and a mid-tempo dance beat.
The song ends as the melody disappears slowly.
The song is emotional, but also dynamic. The melody suggests similar notes in the verse and chorus.
I would like to see him challenging himself vocally even more

#3. Il Senso – Sparnai

It is an opera ballad.
The song starts with piano playing. The first singer opens the song with a tenor voice. Thereafter, we get a female singer with a high operatic tone of voice.
The melody starts as a slow piano piece, but later on a percussion beat with higher tempo is added.
The chorus is performed by all of them together. The melody is based on piano and bass guitar stringing. Low masculine voices complete high feminine voices.
The second verse starts with a mid-high voice of one of the female singers, and thereafter she is replaced by one of the tenors.
Pre-chorus is performed by the 2 women, and the melody becomes more intense.
The chorus is performed by all of them together.
The last minute of the song is opera by the book, with all the vocal aspects and “required” drama.
I felt the song was too pompous for me. I guess it depends how opera is accessible for some of us. At one point, I waited for it to be over, and this wasn’t a good sign.

#4.Justė Kraujelytė – Need More Fun

It is an electro dance-pop song.
The song starts with an electro beat.
The first verse is performed with singing-whispering. The melody is based on synthized keyboards and string dance beats.
The pre-chorus starts with a slower rate, and this is where we can hear Justė‘s excellent voice. She lengthends some notes, as the melody is based on keyboards playing.
The end of the pre-chorus gives us a speedy keyboard loop which leads to the chorus.
The chorus is upbeat, catchy and uplifting. It is quite short, and maybe too short. She sings half of it with a higher tone of voice, while the other half is performed with a darker interpretation.
The second verse is similar to the first one, but the singing is more effortless.
The pre-chorus is dark and mysterious, and this is a great way to prepare us for the chorus.
The chorus arrives again. It is dancable and catchy.
Finally, Justė is on the stage, performing the bridge with a high tone of voice. The backing vocals are stronger, and the piano playing is more powerful.
With some manners, she transforms into the last chorus.
My only problem with the performance was the staging. I wanted Justė to appaer from the start. I am afraid some people think this is a lip sync show.
This song is indeed all about having fun, and it cheers up the listener. I think it enjoys the advantage of being capable both for the jury and the public.

#5. Mario Junes – Do What You Do

This is an indie-R&B song with electronic production.
The song starts with keyboards playing and Mario‘s low and deep voice.
The first verse is slow, he creates the emotional package with his voice and interpretation.
As the first verse ends, the melody becomes more intense, and the electronic beat arrives.
The chorus relies on monotonous keyboards playing, but the electro beat elevates it.
The second verse continues with the same beat from the end of the chorus. This is a sampling of string and wind instruments.
With some heavy breaths, we get a second chorus. It has the same structure as the first one, with a more fourious attitude.
The bridge is powerful, with a more rocky production, including a bass guitar.
The last part of the chorus, this time with more backing vocals and a very high note from Mario at the beginning.
What I liked about this song is the transition of emotions. It also has very nice instrument layers.
Some might claim it is a little bit dated, but I think it is still nice to listen to in 2023

#6.Monika Linkytė – Stay

It is a mid-tempo power pop soul ballad.
The melody is based on piano playing.
Monika opens the first verse with a stable voice. The first verse is slow and relies on basic piano accords.
Pre-chorus sounds almost the same.
The chorus is opened with a very strong and noticeable voice. She shows how wide her range is as a performer. From intimate, it becomes more uplifting. Monika sings together with her backing vocalists, and we can hear a mid tempo drum beat conquering the melody.
The next verse is performed with wide support from the backing vocalists and a gentle percussion beat.
Thereafter, we get the chorus again.
The bridge emphasises Monika‘s voice. The song ends with all of them singing in Lithuanian.
It is really hard to create something new in this region of songs. The chorus is the strong part of the song.
I think this is the classic case where the singer is much better than the song. But overall I love Monika and I am thrilled by her voice.

#7. Moon Bee – Rumor

This is a radio-friendly pop song, with light influences of rock
The song starts with keyboard loop.
The first verse starts slowly, but slowly becomes faster. Moon Bee opens the song with a warm and stable voice.
The pre-chorus relies on guitar stringing, and we can already understand it will change direction.
Indeed, the chorus relies on bass and electric guitar. Some parts of the singing part are fast talking. We can hear some backing vocals as well.
The second verse is more rhythmic. The percussion and keyboards create the melody for this part.
The pre-chorus includes drum beat this time. Thereafter, we move to the 2nd chorus.
The guitars play bigger role in the 2nd chorus.
The bridge starts like a the chorus. This time, the guitars aren’t part of the beginning. The production puts it in an unplugged version, with synthesized backing vocals.
The song ends with a last chorus, which relies on a slightly heavier use of bass and electric guitar. The song ends with deep bearthe.
Overall, it is a decent song, but I can’t say it is one of the special songs in the line-up. The chorus is much more memorable than the verses.

#8. Paulina Paukštaitytė – Let Me Think About Me

This is a mid-tempo electro pop song.
The song starts with a cello playing. The first verse relies on a combination of string and wind elements. Paulina opens the singing part with a soft and pleasant voice.
The pre-chorus is faster, as the melody is based on classic guitar as well.
The chorus takes us to a modern synth pop region. She sings with the support of pre-recorded backing synthesized vocals. The melody is based on a powerful drum beat. Towards the end of the chorus, she sings with an impressive high and long note, with some manners. In this part, it sounds more like a country pop piece.
The second verse reminds the first verse, but the tempo is different. We can hear the classic-orchestral elements once again.
The second chorus relies on an electro percussion beat. She shows some impressive vocal abilities in the second half of the second chorus.
The bridge relies on a violin playing. This part is performed with a vocoder and pre-recorded processed male backing vocals. She sings the first part of it with a high powerful voice.
The song ends with the last chorus, which relies on electronic keyboards.
Listening to this song feels like a journey, we are taken into different musical directions. Somehow, with a very professional production, it feels right and natural and interesting.
It is one of the more contemporary songs in the line-up, and she serves is vocally. Well done!

#9. Petunija – Love of my life

It is an emotional piano ballad.
The song opens with Petunija‘s distinctive voice and piano playing. The first verse is slow and you can already understand that she is telling a story.
Vocal wise, despite the simplicity of the melody, she gives a virtuosic performance.
In pre-chorus, she moves from long notes, high notes and deep and pleasant voice.
The chorus is emotional, and this is where she sounds the best. The piano playing becomes a little bit more intense at this point.
The second verse suggests a new direction in the melody. Petunija performs it with the support of backing vocalists.
Thereafter, we get a short chorus. The chorus is being finalized in a different way, with some planned vocal breaks and voice trilling.
This is one of the most beautiful ballads I’ve heard recently.
With quite simple staging, Petunija owns the stage. Vocally, she is great and the song is perfectly written.
For some reason, it seems like some countries are afraid to send ballads, but I think this one will stand out.
And just like others, I also found myself “Calling in your sleep for love”.

#10. Rūta MUR – So Low

It is a dance club pop with wide influences of the 1980’s-1990’s music.
The song starts with a drum beat and electric keyboards.
The first verse relies on an electric production, with the use of keyboards and string beat. Rūta opens the song with a surprising low tone of voice.
The pre-chorus is faster. The bass guitar beat takes control the melody and the drums beat is faster.
The chorus is catchy, but mainly relies on the phrase “So low”. The melody is based on a variety of instruments and the production is a wonderful throwback to the 1980’s.
The second verse is similar to the first one, but with a faster tempo. The electric keyboards create a mysteries atmosphere.
The pre-chorus is short. Thereafter, we get a short instrumental part.
The chorus comes right after. The tempo is “airier” this time. The main element is the keyboard playing, together with the electro beat.
The keyboards playing becomes faster and faster, as she sings with a lower pitch. The melody ends in an intensive flavor, while she sings the same words.
The song has a great production. The listeners who grow up listening to the 1980’s-1990’s music, will love it. However, something about this lyrics (and especially the chorus) feels effortless. I guess that this is one of the songs, where the focus was given to the melody and the production, while the lyrics came after

My Personal Ranking

I am not sure everyone will agree with me, but I think this is one of the high quality national selections of the year. Most of the performances are ready and sharp, and all of them serve is vocally.

My ranking will be as follows:

Petunija – Love of my life
Justė Kraujelytė – Need More Fun
Gabrielius Vagelis – Šauksmas
Paulina Paukštaitytė – Let Me Think About Me
Mario Junes – Do What You Do
Beatrich – Like a Movie
Rūta MUR – So Low
Monika Linkytė – Stay
Moon Bee – Rumor
Il Senso – Sparnai

Prediction

There wasn’t any clear pattern in the voting. Artists who won the heats, didn’t won the public vote in the semis. The members is the jury panel aren’t permanent.
However, it looks like the trophy will go to one of:

Beatrich – Like a Movie
Rūta MUR – So Low

Lithuania will compete in the second half of semi-final 2 at Eurovision 2023.
Don’t forget to visit our full guide to Eurovision 2023: Our Eurovision 2023 homepage