Eurovision 2016: Review: Bosnia & Herzegovina: Dalal, Deen, Ana & Jala: Ljubav je

Dalal Midhat, Deen, Jala and Croatian cellist, Ana Rucner

After a three-year absence, caused by financial difficulties, Bosnia and Herzegovina return to the Eurovision Song Contest with the internally-selected song, Ljubav je (Love is).

Not satisfied with just one artist, BandH have employed a four strong crew consisting of Dalal Midhat, Deen, Jala and Croatian cellist, Ana Rucner. Of course, Deen has previously appeared at the Contest when he secured ninth place with In the Disco, a song that couldn't be more different than Ljubav je.

Bosnia and Herzegovina have wisely discarded the campy dance music of 2004 for a more customary ballad, the kind of song that we are used to hearing from the region - only this one has a sting in the tail.

One of the few entries presented at this year's Contest in a native language, the song begins well with the drama of some ethnic-sounding strings provided by the cello of Ana Rucner. It's not long before the duet between the much-changed Deen and his singing partner Dalal kicks in, giving you that comfortable feeling that you are in familiar Balkan territory.

It all progresses quite pleasantly: the voices blend well, the melody is enjoyable, while the refrain in the chorus becomes quite memorable. Everything appears to have a semblance of sophistication until an unnecessarily hostile rap break, courtesy of local rapper Jala, interrupts the serenity of the performance.

According to Dalal and Deena, Ljubav je represents "a fusion of different musical styles, perfectly combined in one beautiful musical harmony. The song has elements of Balkan ballads, along with typically fierce pop rock and elements of classical, ethno and rap."

But is this a fusion too far? Rap, in general, does not do well at Eurovision, ordinarily alienating much of the Contest's audience. This particular example comes across as overly intimidating and offered up by someone who looks as if he has just arrived from Syria with a score to settle. Not the best way to gather points.

But Jala is a well-respected and well-liked hiphop artist in the Balkans, so BandH shouldn't really have any trouble picking up some votes from countries such as Montenegro, Croatia and Greece, all of which appear in their semi-final. However, much depends on whether the blend of elements in this song are likely to appeal to a wider audience - as well as the juries.

Should it qualify for the final, it's going to find it difficult to climb too far up the scoreboard. It's not a winner and a prospective Top 10 to Top 15 finish is also highly doubtful.

What do you think?

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