The 2015 “Expert” Panel – MONTENEGRO

The ESC United “Expert” Panel is back once again reviewing all Eurovision songs and rank them accordingly.

You are probably asking yourself on how we pick our panel and the criteria. We looked at people from all walks of life to bring together a unique group of panelists with a wide range in taste. They all bring different skills and tastes to the table so who are they?

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Arie – The Professional Musician
Daniel – The Noob
Katja – The Schlager Queen
Mike – The Smart One
Olivia – The Journalist

You can read more about them HERE

Disclaimer: While we picked, what we perceived individuals with a wide range in taste, it is subjective to a certain degree so just enjoy their thoughts and if you don’t agree, feel free to post your comments below.

Last year, Montenegro qualified from the Semi Finals for the first time. Can they do it again this year? The panel will take apart Knez’ song Adio. Let’s hear what they have to say.

Daniel – The Noob
The melody of this entry sounds very, very ancient. That is not bad! Using instruments like they did, this song becomes more outstanding and special. They also sound very enjoyable. I have rarely seen/heard anything like that. It is such a shame I do not get the meaning of the lyrics. Just by hearing the melody I believe this song is in close touch with nature but that is only a guess.
Points: 6/10

Arie – The Professional Musician
This intimate piece throws us off with a beautiful little string ballad intro and plunges into a rhythm based ethno-specific type of song.  Vocally great and….sorry, I just heard the end as I was typing.  What the heck?  The ending sucks!  Moving on:  the vocals are nice but the melody (to my ear) kind of flounders about without any kind of definitive line while the orchestration has scents of kareoke about it.  The last 30 seconds or so gets interesting, but other than that, it’s wasted time.  5 pts.  (Hint: Change the ending bar and I’ll give you an instant point).
Points: 5/10

Mike – The Smart One
Montenegro has had some very interesting songs recently, even if not necessarily good ones. “Euro Neuro” is already a classic for me. However, this year’s song is so forgettable I don’t even remember the refrain after just listening to it. I seem to remember that it was quite pleasant though. The average-voiced male singer hit the few notes expected of him. The instrumental interlude had notes (pun intended) of interest at least. My shortest review. Nothing more to say.
Points: 5/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
When Knez was announced as the Montenegrin representative, I was slightly skeptical. I mean he seemed slightly too local for causal mainstream audience. But when Zeljko Joksimovic was confirmed as  the entry’s composer, I got my hopes up again. And the combination Knez & Zeljko doesn’t disappoint, but it doesn’t blow me away either. The song is not exactly Zeljko’s Best (that accolade still belongs to Lane Moje and Oro), but it’s a competent addition to the line-up. And Eurovision without a Balkan ballad is not a real Eurovision
Points: 7/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Montenegro has become one of my pet countries at Eurovision in the recent years but this one doesn’t quite do the trick for me. I’m not a huge fan of Željko Joksimović’s compositions in the first place – while they’re widely regarded as high-quality they usually sound quite dull and uninspired to me. “Adio” sadly isn’t much of an exception. I really like the backing singers’ oh-oh parts but the rest of the song just doesn’t seem to go anywhere.
Points: 5/10

Olivia – The Journalist
he Montenegrin formula strikes again. Beautiful instrumentals, moving progressions, gentle dulcimer drums and sultry strings. Oh and not to forget a middle aged, well-dressed, and well-established Montenegrin musical export – Knez. This year’s entry is basically like the last one, but in different clothes. However, this time there is a different man behind it all – Željko Joksimović. A Eurovision heavyweight, Željko is well-versed at writing powerful Euro-ballands. He of course entered for Serbia and wrote ‘Lane moje’, ‘Lejla’, ‘Oro’ and ‘Nije ljubav stvar’. And this is yet another beautiful addition to his discography. This song keeps true to its roots. It is embedded in the Balkan folkloric song tradition, with a modern twist. I really think this adds something different into the mix – something very original vis à vis the other entrants. And when it breaks into the ‘oh’s’ I get goosebumps. This has grown to be one of my favourites, and it deserves to qualify. But unfortunately it is up against some big names in the second Semi Final – Sweden and Azerbaijan, along with fan favorites Lithuania and Slovenia. But I’ve got my fingers crossed!
Points: 9/10

Overall: 37 Points

So while Montenegro only managed to Wow Olivia, nobody disliked the entry and gave it decent scores. When you add it all up, Knez ends up with 37 points which isn’t too shabby. That puts him currently in third place.

Let’s have a look at the current ranking (Click on the Country for the full review):

1	Austria The Makemakes I Am Yours Points: 43

2	Denmark Anti-Social Media The Way You Are Points: 40
3	Montenegro Knez Adio Points: 37

4	Russia Polina Gagarina A Million Voices Points: 36

5	Netherlands Trijntje Oosterhuis Walk Along Points: 34

6	Czech Republic Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta Hope Never Dies Points: 33

7	Moldova Eduard Romanyuta I Want Your Love Points: 26

Do you think that the panel got this right?!? Share your thoughts below and join the convo on our Forum. See yah soon!