The fourth semi final of the Maltese selection for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is about to be held. Another six acts will compete to be among the 20 that will reach the final.

Webcast

You can follow the show via webcast here.

The line-up

Composer/lyricist in brackets.

1. Audrey Marie Bartolo – Good intentions
   (Miriam Christine/Rita Pace)
2. Wayne Micallef – Save a life
   (Wayne Micallef)
3. Ryan Dale & Duminika – One for you
   (Ryan Dale/Jon Lukas)
4. Mike Spiteri – Twenty thousand leagues
   (Ray Agius/Alfred C. Sant)
5. Cynthia Attard – If I knew
   (Miriam Christine/Gerard James Borg)
6. Dario Bezzina – Grave dancers
   (Chan Vella/Alexia Schembri)

LIVE

The semi final will be held during tonight's edition of the weekly show L-Isfida. The performances will start around 22:15 CET.

After we have seen almost half of the Maltese population performing Flashdance, it is time for the first possible Maltese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.

1. Audrey Marie Bartolo – Good intentions

Miriam Christine represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 and finished 10th with in a woman's heart. She already performed one of her own compositions last year and is back with another song this week. It is performed by Audrey Marie Bartolo, a newcomer to the Maltese Eurovision Song Contest selection.

It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but in this case Good intentions might just lead to the final of Malta EuroSong 2010. The song is an up-tempo show tune, which is catchy but rather repetitive. Generally, it might be too much of a stage tune to do well in the Eurovision Song Contest and the presentation would have to be far more spectacular to suit the song. The singer looks rather serious and a more light-hearted performance would obviously be better to transport the happy mood the song is supposed to create.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uG89JvfhT0

2. Wayne Micallef – Save a life

Wayne Micallef, one of the few singer-songwriters in the Maltese selection, is taking part for the fourth time already. His best results came last year when he finished seventh with Where you belong.

The song is a timeless ballad, which suffers from the rather shaky vocals. A polished studio version of this Ronan-Keating-like song could be popular on the radios. However, the composition gets rather monotonous after a while and it might therefore not be the right choice for the Eurovision Song Contest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z76_p6vr_o4

3. Ryan Dale & Duminika – One for you

It's time for a comedy act. Comedy acts are usually not popular among the majority of the die-hard Eurovision Song Contest fans and over the last few years, those that were selected to represent their countries did not do very well in the contest either (the last successful effort was probably We are the winners in 2006). While One for you is a classic, rather old-fashioned love song, the presentation as a duet between a man and a puppet is what makes it a joke entry. The performance could be far more spectacular, but generally this entry might go well forward to the national final.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFQAutrpRiU

4. Mike Spiteri – Twenty thousand leagues

Mike Spiteri represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995, which was also the year of his last Malta Song for Europe participation until today.

Mike Spiteri obviously feels like a rock star on stage when he performs this 1980s-style rock song. The performance is confident, which suits the song very well. Generally not an outstanding effort in the world of music, but a rather unusual entry when is comes to Maltese Eurovision Song Contest entries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWr-XJmZMnI

5. Cynthia Attard – If I knew

Miriam Christine is obviously going to become a new Philip Vella as this is already her third composition in the Maltese semi finals this year. The song she composed this time is a very classic ballad that could develop its emotional value in a high-quality studio version but comes across a bit random on stage. Cything Attard still performs the song in a very authentic way, although the vocals are a little shaky once in a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO2c7mCIlgw

6. Dario Bezzina – Grave dancers

The title gives it away that this song might suit very well in any Vampire-themed stage musical. The vocals are pretty strong, but the performance is rather cold and the singer seems to be a bit over-trained. A catchy song but again, it might be too much of a stage song to do well in the Eurovision Song Contest. It also has to be mentioned that in 2007, DJ BoBo represented Switzerland with a song that told a similar story (although the music was all different) but was eliminated in the semi final getting his highest set of votes from Malta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJWqEymd0VU