EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: ISRAEL - Kobi Marimi - Home

Welcome back!

Final song review of Eurovision 2019! So we turn to the home country, Israel. After winning talent show Rising Star, Kobi Marimi will reperesent the country with 'Home'.

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: Let's start off with the main selling point of this entry, Kobi's vocal. It feels like Kobi is singing from his soul whenever he opens his mouth and it's faultless, both live and in the studio version which adds an extra element of authenticity. 'Home' is also very well written, one of my favourite lyrics that always sticks in my mind after hearing this is 'running barefoot to the mountain tops'. This isn't a song that has a mish-mash of English lyrics thrown together to fit a melody and it shows. The song also manages to create a narrative arc of acceptance and Kobi feeling like 'someone', with the key change making the song feel triumphant as it reaches its climax. There is definitely a lot to like here.

What I Don't Like: As much as I respect home and do find it a pleasant listen whenever it comes on, this kind of entry just isn't tailored for my personal taste. It feels very traditional and old-timey and that's not really to my personal taste. In fact, if another act was singing this I'd probably dislike it and Kobi is the one who brings the best out of 'Home'. Its tradtitional and almost theatrical feel can make 'Home' feel quite unoriginal, and there are a lot of male ballads within this year's contest that are maybe striving for something that is more contemporary or exciting for me. Its all a personal thing though because I totally respect this entry and technically there really isn't much to pick at here, I just don't feel the connection with the song as much as I want to.

Prediction: Israel are already in the Grand Final this year, so its a question of where they will place, and honestly I'm finding this one quite difficult to predict. While I don't think it'll do badly I do wonder if performing 14th in the final sandwiched between other male ballads on the night that will probably do more staging-wise will end up swallowing this one up. I don't see left-hand side for 'Home' unfortunately but bottom 5 or a last place would definitely be undeserved. 16th-22nd in the final seems fair at the moment.

Final Score: 6.5/10

Summary: A classy ballad oozing with passion thanks to its vocalist and is a host nation entry that Israel can be proud of. Kobi is a real charmer and I think 'Home' will have its audience but it's not enough for Israel to match their two consecutive wins from the 70s.

Thank you for reading! This is my final Eurovision 2019 song review blog, if you have missed any so far or want to look back click here for all of them. Over the next few weeks I will of course continue to make many more blog posts including predictions, rehearsal blogs and of course review the results and shockers during Eurovision week, so please keep checking back and make sure to follow me @ESCTBy on Twitter for more Eurovision ramblings! Almost time to get excited for Eurovision 2019!