My review of "Space":
-I'm one of the few who was positively curious about the Montenegrin entry after it was announced Slavko would be their representative. However, I guess I expected something else sonically-speaking. The entry is typical Eurovision kitch stuff and imo has a lot in common with the Hungarian entry "Dance With Me" in 2009. It's a pop song that's meant to cater for the taste of a fringe of the Eurovision fandom that misses them campy songs, I guess the overall production has been saved by G:son - it could have sounded really cheap - and the instrumentation fluctuates between early 2000's europop and disco-ish throwback vibes. Without considering it a guilty pleasure myself, I think it's a pretty decent song (for what it is, ofc), it's not really my cup of tea, but I don't mind listening to it, at least it stands out from the rest. The lyrics are ridiculously risqué but they work actually, I feel like they've gone all out in this regard - and thank you - because it's not just another bunch of platitudes: it's in your face, maybe cringeworthy sometimes, but it's got an identity, and the same cannot be said about most entries this year. Pros: the cheeky lyrics. Cons: I have none in mind.
The highlight of the song to me is merely the chorus, it's really quite catchy and I've found myself humming it a few times.
-Vocally, it's really a cold shower though. Why most camp acts can't sing their songs properly? That's a real question. The studio version is so great that the live performance sounded flat imo, yet it seemed to have been his best rendition compared with his various performances at past Eurovision concerts. I like Slavko's vocal tone, but he could have used some singing lessons, it wasn't a super vocally-demanding song.
-Visually, this was my biggest disappointment. Where is the "performance that has never been done before" he had promised us? When he stated he would do something unique, I thought of a milimetric musical theater-inspired show with dancers, props and extra led screens... Something fierce, flamboyant and memorable. I'm sorry to say that but Slavko didn't fill the stage to me, and watching him wearing a see-through black top and shaking his ponytail is just not enough to keep me entertained. I'm even more disappointed because Montenegro have always staged their songs appropriately with good ideas and "Space" had so much potential visually. The background was mainly him appearing sporadically in a mix of electric blue, orange and purple shades. I guess the colour scheme was okay - I mean it fitted the space theme, but having closeups of him everywhere wasn't an asset, they could have thought of something else. So, Slavko's show only involved a long skirt removal and some gestures routine... This was poor to me, the song demanded more drama and energy: why not a more sexually-suggestive dance routine, a prop used as a gimmick during the bridge and some tighter camera shots? There were many possibilities (I would have gladly gone into space with him in the litteral sense of the word!). Outfit-wise, I didn't like Slavko's top (I just don't like see-through clothes on men) but it fit his style even though his chest looked like it was painted on the fabric. Both his skirt and shiny trousers were bomb though. Overall, he looked good.
-Results-wise: I think no one was expecting a qualification tbh, for the juries would have never supported this. He did quite well with televoters though, I guess he woke up people after the series of ballads. In my book, Montenegro were borderline qualifiers, I do enjoy the song when I listen to it, but it's not in the category of songs I really like. I'm disappointed by the lazy staging, I hope the delegation will get back to their previous standards. However, I applaud Montenegro for trying something different musically, "Space" was a nice addition to this weak edition: keep opening up your own path and please don't think Balkan ballads are the only answer for qualification.