Time for me to review this year's Dutch entry
Douwe Bob - Slow Down
Status: Meh, not my cup of tea
Song: The Netherlands have had difficulties qualifying for like 8 years before they really started trying harder from 2013, now they seem to be in the good books of the juries, even when it's frankly not deserved (2015). I loved "Calm After The Storm" and liked "Birds", I also enjoyed "Ik Ben Verliefd": it was so out there and Dutch-sounding that I couldn't help but like it
So after their non-qualification last year, I hoped it would remind them not be lazy again, "Walk Along" wasn't good at all both musically and visually. They eventually opted for what they were most successful with lately: a country-flavoured song. I must say that I'm disappointed by that move because I saw it as a lazy attempt to repeat their 2014 success (which would have been hard to equal), and I guess I'm kind of fed up with country coming from them (Walk Along, You and Me...), I think it was time to try something else. Whatever, "Slow Down" was their 2016 entry: it deals with a lost man who doesn't know how to enjoy life anymore and feels the need to rush all day long (unlike Laura Tesoro
). He is so desperate that he asks another guy for help, and that guy advises him to slow down if he can't keep up the pace. I find the lyrics rather ingenuous, that's not very deep but it's perfectly decent for a Eurovision entry. Musically, the song starts with a clock sound which actually acts as a beat before the instrumentation is introduced, I guess it is a clever reminder of how in a hurry and obsessed with time the guy talking through the lyrics is. Then Douwe starts singing, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. Later on, drums, backing voices, a bass and some piano notes appear as the first verse develops: everything sounds so retro!
The Beatles could have sung this imo. Actually, I quite enjoy the verse, but the chorus ruins the whole thing to me: after effortlessly setting a warm atmosphere and retro vibe, the build-up leads to a flat repetition of the song title. And that impression of repetitiveness is reinforced by the shortened second verse and lack of a proper bridge (I don't count the short electric guitar solo) that would kind of attenuate the feeling that it drags on while the song length is only 2min43. :? Besides, past the development of the first minute, the rest remains at the same level, I haven't noticed any slight change instrumentation-wise and that's a shame to me. The song ends with the chorus repeated twice, which wasn't the best idea imo. So, you got it I guess! The music genre was no surprise and I can't help but compare that effort to the previous ones: personally, "Calm After The Storm" is miles better than this unfinished song. The first verse - before the chorus starts - is the best part of the song imo, then we got a repetitive chorus (repeated ad nauseam) and the rest doesn't change much (no twist to break the routine), there was definitely room for improvement tbh. I mean there are songs where repetition is not an issue for me, unfortunately "Slow Down" isn't one of them. Of course, it is way less cheap/empty and more decent than "Walk Along", but that does not mean it's a good song either IN MY OPINION (so don't shoot me!)
Voice: Douwe has a suitable voice for that kind of music, even his physical features seem to be coming from old times: his face reminds me of Hollywood actors of the golden era.
No major details to mention there, he performed well both in the semi and the grand final. Honestly, I almost can't tell the difference between the studio version and his live vocals, which is a good thing.
Staging: The Dutch opted for a rather simple staging and it worked well. It started with a large camera shot and a giant old clock face displayed on the LED floor. As Douwe started singing, the lights surrounding the stage suddenly lit up in a golden colour and the backdrops showed patterns I can't define (crocodile skin maybe?). We could see Douwe play the guitar seated while his colleagues were playing their own instruments at the center of the stage (piano, electric guitar, drums), then he stood up to reach the second microphone stand placed in front of the other musicians. During the chorus, the backdrops turned red and purple while the pools of lights turned golden/orangey, I did like that contrast. When the guitar solo was on, the camera turned around the electric guitar players (that shot was reminiscent of the guitar solo of Calm After The Storm imo). So far, so good and... I don't know who had the idea of including like 10 seconds of silence before the last two chorus
Douwe was then on the b-stage, making love to the camera and whispering "I love you"... OMG
I find that part so useless and freaking embarrassing! If one didn't know the song, one might think it was over, I don't see the point of this: it would have been preferable to have a proper bridge instead
The music resumed and Douwe went towards the Dutch fans in the audience to shake their hands. The performance ends with a smile and a wink
I guess he did his duty! He wore an elegant dark blue suit with a matching waistcoat and white shirt, which is never wrong. I do like his neck tattoo
Overall, I think the staging was nice: warm colours, the retro feel was respected and the giant clock face was a good idea. What I didn't like: the pointless silence after the guitar solo and the attention-whore-ish fop attitude of Douwe :? I understand it might have been considered extra-charming to most people, personally it put me off.
Outcome: The Netherlands qualified and placed 11th in the grand final. Congrats, the song kind of stood out in this homogeneous Melfest-sounding year and it ended up doing well despite its early starting position. Juries ranked them 11th and televoters ranked them 17th, but disagreements between both parties benefited to the Dutch. Personally, I think 11th was way too high, other songs would have deserved to be at the gates of the top 10 imo. In my personal ranking, "Slow Down" is 31st out of 42: this was a meh effort that could have been better musically. Had I been the only one to decide the outcome, it wouldn't even have qualified. But that's just my opinion, no offense.
Guys, if you want to please me, please stay away from country music next year, send something refreshing and not half-finished: "Birds" got a good result, so there is no way you couldn't do it again with other music genres.
Good luck to you, and see you next year
1 Thank you so much Douwe Bob for participating, for all the hard work.
