Montenegro's trying to be respectable in this year's Eurovision Song Contest with Knez's "Adio", but are they forgettable?
It's been interesting to watch the transition Montenegro's been attempting in the Eurovision Song Contest the past few years. They've gone from sending an entry with a humor to it that comes from knowing your country is small enough that it likely won't get the votes it needs to win (see: "Euro Neuro", "Igranka") to one that's clearly trying to be middle of the road enough to make it to the finals (see last year's "Moj Svet", which did in fact crack the finals and actually got some 12-points from its nearby neighbors). They're finally getting the results they want, but the last year's entry was completely bland to my ears. How does this year's compare? Have they finally found a middle ground?
Well, not so much. This feels very much of a piece with last year's entry, to the point where I had to double check to make sure Knez wasn't just a group featuring last year's singer. The song, much like last year's, is nice, but unremarkable in terms of melody. It's certainly pleasant, and Knez has a nice voice, but it just doesn't make waves for me, and I wouldn't be surprised if the staging for this one is on the stoic side. I'm really hoping Montenegro finds a way to keep it interesting in the contest next year, since I miss stuff like "Igranka". It was ridiculous, but at least we were talking about it - this entry seems destined to be forgotten.