2019: Montenegro | D-Moll | Heaven

D-Moll: Heaven or hell for Montenegro in Tel Aviv?

In early February, Montenegro chose its latest Eurovision participants through a televised national final, Montevizija. The selection, which had five songs in the running, saw D-Moll win both voting rounds with their entry Heaven - ultimately winning with a 24% televote difference over the second placed act.

Like San Marino, Montenegro enjoyed their first Eurovision finals as an independent country five years ago and they have generally proven over succeeding contests that it wasn’t by accident. With the choice of Heaven, that observation may well now be up for debate.

As Balkan entries go, this is quite underwhelming in terms of its capacity to appeal to a wide cross-section of  Eurovision voters. Although it has a perky and upbeat personality, the whole production feels depressing, drab and dated. It's as if the song has been plucked from an earlier decade and awkwardly recycled for a 2019 audience.

For sure, there is a melody for Eurovision viewers to grasp, while the arrangement is quite inoffensive on the ears. However, the lyrically repetitive nature of the chorus adds little but a feeling of annoyance and a desire for it to finish as soon as possible.

Harsh words, yes. But a possible promised revamp by the Montenegrins may change minds about the likelihood of it qualifying in Semi Final 1. 

While it’s not impossible for D-Moll to reach the final with some improved staging and vocals, at the moment - based solely on the entry - I predict the group will be on an early flight home.

Montenegro

Artist: D-Moll

Song: Heaven

Semi-Final 1: First Half

Inje / Vanja Radovanović / Montenegro | Review

In the doldrums? Vanja Radovanović

After several years of internal selections, Montenegro decided that they would return to a national final in 2018 - their first since 2007. The result, five contenders battling for the ticket to Lisbon on the show, Montevizija. Following a super-final, the only male contender - Vanja Radovanović - triumphed over his competitors with the song Inje.

To date, Montenegro has only progressed to the Grand Final on two occasions, both times with typically dramatic Balkan ballads - a trend that Radovanović will hope continues with his equally brooding song.

Inje certainly bears all the hallmarks of a classic Balkan composition. The powerful instrumentation, the gathering storm arrangement, the anguished, tragic lyrics. It's very similar to what we've heard in the past when Montenegro submits this type of entry. Even Vanja's voice could be interchanged with the vocals from 2014/5 which somehow adds to the sense of déja vu.

Is this inevitably a misstep though? As far as Montenegro is concerned, probably not. In the long run, if the Balkan ballad concept hasn't already excited your senses, then Inje is highly unlikely to do anything to change that. However, in a contest which features ever fewer ethnic contributions, these bursts of ethnicity display an all too welcome shift from what has become the 'norm'.

With that said, is there any reason to feel hopeful about a positive outcome for Radovanović? It possibly fails to capture the uplifting passion that made Moj svijet and Adio such striking entries in their particular years, but this is a sensitive performance. It's certainly not 2018's winner, but with some striking staging, Montenegro could well surprise a few doubters and qualify for the Grand Final.

MONTENEGRO 

Artist: Vanja Radovanović

Song: Inje 

Semi-Final 2 | Second Half

Eurovision 2016: Spotlight on Montenegro; Russia; Estonia

Highway: On the road to Stockholm

With the first semi-final of Eurovision 2016 drawing ever closer, time is now tight and hence these truncated reviews, starting off with:

Montenegro: Highway with The Real Thing

No Balkan ballad from Montenegro this year. Instead, the country has decided to send former X-Factor Adria  contestants Highway to Stockholm with their guitar-grinding rock track, The Real Thing.

Apart from Lordi's cartoon rock, the genre has never really fared that well at Eurovision. However, it's nice to see Montenegro trying something a little different again this year, but Highway's sound is probably too niche to have a wide enough appeal either with the juries or the public.

Although there's a melody hidden away in the grunge, this one is bound to fail, breaking the recent run of Final appearances by Montenegro.

Appearance: Semi-Final 1, performing 15th.

Russia: Sergey Lazarev with You Are the Only One

Could Sergey be 'The One' in Sweden?

Having had to put up with an honourable second place last year, this time Russia has decided to ramp up the pressure by sending one of its biggest stars, Sergey Lazarev.

Already installed as one of the favourites to win the whole caboodle, Lazarev and his song tick many of the required Eurovision boxes: a handsome, athletic male singer who will appeal to (in part) both genders and singing a naggingly catchy - if a little outdated - entry, You Are the Only One.

Its construction is very much à la Eric Saade's Popular or even Sakis Rouvas' This is Our Night: a thumping, in your face pop song with a chorus which will quickly get into your head and then refuse to leave. Add in a mandatory key change and you have the archetypal winning formula.

Will he succeed where Saade and Rouvas failed? Only time (and probably political voting) will tell, but you can be sure that this one will be there or thereabouts.

Appearance: Semi-Final 1, performing 9th.

Lazarev image by Okras (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Estonia: Jüri Pootsmann with Play

Jüri Pootsmann is ready to play in Stockholm

Like Sergey, the young Mr. Pootsmann is well-known in his home country since winning Estonia's version of Pop Idol. This fact, no doubt, helped his victory in Eesti Laul (the name of the nation's national final) as possibly did the song's link with last year's Estonian representative, Stig Rästa.

Stig is co-composer of Play - and it shows. If you recall Estonia's cracking song entry from 2015, Goodbye to Yesterday, then Jüri's effort for 2016 will come as little surprise. It's as moody as one would expect while the contemporary George Ezra-style vocals from Jüri lift the track from what could have been an unremarkable pop song into a more classy, soulful affair.

It's something of a grower, too. However, once the chorus kicks in there's no denying that Play should be considered more than just another Eurovision semi-final filler. In some ways, it feels (and looks) just a little too sophisticated for the competition but, hopefully, Jüri will display more than sufficient charisma to reel in enough votes to lift him into the Grand Final. This song deserves it.

Appearance: Semi-Final 1, performing 13th.

What are your thoughts about these songs?

 

JESC 2015: Five More Eurovision Song Reviews

As Sofia, Bulgaria prepares to host the 13th annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest on 21 November, here are five more song reviews, this time covering the entries from Montenegro, The Netherlands, Russia, San Marino and Slovenia:

Montenegro

Jana Mirković: Oluja (Олуја) Storm

Montenegro return to the Junior version of Eurovision for just the second time under their own flag.

This year the country is pinning its hopes on a pretty 15-year-old called Jana Mirković, who was chosen internally at the beginning of July.

She'll be singing a sunny, up tempo ditty by the name of Oluja, which translates as Storm in English. However, the song is anything but stormy, sounding instead as if it was composed in the glorious sunshine of Rio de Janiero. It's a toe tapper with an appropriately non-stop samba rhythm and an annoyingly memorable chorus.

Written by the same team that brought us Serbia's winning Eurovision song of 2007, Montenegro should feel confident that Oluja will do well.  7½/10.

See the official video for Oluja here

Netherlands

Shalisa: Million Lights

The Netherlands have participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in each year since its inception in 2003. 2015 sees Shalisa (another 15-year-old) representing the country and hoping to replicate its 2009 victory.

Million Lights is the song that she will take to Sofia, having won Holland's national selection process in early October.

Unsurprisingly, it's a well produced entry from the Dutch: a piano-driven mid-tempo ballad which is sung with confidence by the teenager. Its sentiment and overall mood is similar to Russia's A Million Voices from the main Eurovision event earlier in the year.

Whether it can do as well as that song remains to be seen, but its a valiant effort and should see The Netherlands in the Top 5.  8/10.

See the official video for Million Lights here

Russia

Mikhail Smirnov: Mechta (Dream) (Мечта)

It seems strange to think that a 12-year-old is already a well-seasoned performer on both stage and television. The facts are that Mikhail Smirnov is an experienced actor - having appeared in musical theatre in Russia - as well as becoming a finalist on the country's version of The Voice: Kids.

It's no surprise then that he should win the ticket to represent Russia at Junior Eurovision in Bulgaria. He was up against eight other competitors in the national final, but the jury preferred Mechta - the kind of ballad the Russians do so well.

It's a strong entry - if a little sugary - enhanced by Mikhail's confidently striking vocals. Nevertheless, it tends to rely heavily on the chorus; the verses are inclined to drift and become uninteresting. But we are talking Russia here, so a comfortably high placing on the scoreboard is almost inevitable.  8½/10

See the official video for Mechta here

San Marino

Kamilla Ismailova: Mirror

San Marino deserve to do well in Eurovision and the 2015 Junior event could break the run of bad luck which has dogged the tiny microstate.

This year, San Marino goes out on a limb somewhat by picking a young Russian girl by the name of Kamilla Ismailova as its singer. In fact, it seems Kamilla picked San Marino.

Having visited the country as a young(er) girl, the way of life left an impression on her - so she decided to send her song to relevant producers and soon found herself the representative.

Mirror is a well-constructed ballad which possesses a killer chorus - one that you will soon find yourself humming along to. It's repeated often enough to create an earworm, so should make enough of an impression to reel in a large haul of points.  8¾/10.

See the official video for Mirror here

Slovenia

Lina Kuduzović: Prva ljubezen (First Love)

At just 12-years-old, Lina Kuduzović is already something of a seasoned performer in Slovenia. It all started with her victory on the country's version of the "Got Talent" franchise, followed up by triumphs in several singing competitions.

That success brought her to the heats of the Slovenian Junior Eurovision national final in which she competed against five other hopefuls. She won the event in early October with the song Prva ljubezen (First Love), a sweeping ballad co-composed by Slovenia's 2015 senior representatives, Maraaya.

It's a song which showcases Lina's strong, wistful vocals - even if in one of the live performances there were hints of pitch problems at the beginning of the track. That minor issue aside, Slovenia should figure more prominently on the scoreboard than the 12th place achieved in their début year of 2014.  8/10.

See a live performance of Prva ljubezen here

More Junior Eurovision reviews to come!

Review: Montenegro: Eurovision 2015 | Knez: Adio

Knez will travel to Vienna to represent Montenegro

If ever a singer was in need of an effective songwriter of a Eurovision entry, then Serbian Željko Joksimović would be among his or her top choices. Known as the master of The Balkan Ballads, he has now furnished one for his Montenegrin neighbours: Adio, sung by veteran performer Knez.

The singer should be pleased. Out of the four previous songs he has written for the Contest, Joksimović has yet to miss the Top 10, his lowest ranked song finishing in sixth place in 2008. Impressive as that may appear, does Adio also have the legs to race to the left-hand side of the scoreboard?

In reality, the song has very little to offer over and above what Joksimović has provided the Eurovision Song Contest with before. It's full of ethnic orchestration and contemplative lyricism, boasting a cinematic arrangement which builds to what sounds like, on this occasion, an abrupt climax. It also reveals one of the very few foreign vocals this year, presented in fine form by one of the Balkans' most experienced performers.

Knez will really need to sell this song, though. There's no denying it's a worthy attempt at another Top 10 placing, but the much superior Moj svijet, 2014's Montenegrin entry by Sergej Ćetković, could only manage a less-than-fair nineteenth place. The juries and the public may be generous in allowing it to qualify, but it's likely to run out of steam in the Final.

What do you think?

Eurovision 2014: Montenegro: Moj svijet (Мој свијет)

Montenegro: Sergej Ćetković

As an independent nation, Montenegro has been sending songs to Eurovision since 2007, but has yet to progress to the final stages. So, will Sergej Ćetković singing Moj svijet bring the country any more luck?

I hope so. Although there is an English version (My Love), the track is one of very few this year that will be sung in a native language at the competition. In my opinion, Sergej deserves massive props for making this decision.

It's a very different affair to last year's contemporary rap-influenced dance track from Montenegro. Sergej has been around the block a few times in his career and knows how to deliver this kind of a ballad. It's a plea from the heart, a love song of loss and the need for reconciliation.

It fits nicely into a style that Sergej has made his own since his solo career began in 1998. Over the intervening sixteen years, he has become very popular across the Balkans, releasing five successful CDs since the turn of the century.

Obviously, Eurovision presents him with an opportunity to widen his appeal and this song should accomplish that. With great production values, reminders of Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up and ethnic orchestration,  the song soars which, if there is any justice, it should do in the competition.

But will people vote for it? Native language songs tend to fare less well, unless they have a strong melodic hook. Along with its Celtic flavourings, Moj svijet has that in abundance, so I am very confident that we will see Montenegro in the final on May 10.

What do you think?


Image by Al3k5aNd4R (Promotion of new CD) [CC-BY-3.0, GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Eurovision 2013: Montenegro: Igranka

Who See will represent Montenegro at Eurovision 2013 with the song Igranka (Игранка : The Party).

This duo is a very popular hip-hop act in the Balkans and, quite frankly, I hope that is where they stay. I'm not a lover of rap; even less so when it's sung in Montenegrin. What possessed Montenegro to send this noise to Eurovision is beyond me. Perhaps they are trying to attract the cool vote, but even the cool kids will reject this.

They've even employed female singer Nina Žižić to break up the incomprehensible rapping, but unfortunately even her banshee wailing cannot save this. Hopefully, it will be consigned to the Eurovision rubbish bin and forgotten post haste.

The time to go and put the kettle on or take a bathroom break will be on May 14 around halfway through the first semi-final. Montenegro perform in ninth place.

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