My review of "Amar Pelos Dois":
-Portugal is (was?) imo part of the underrated ESC nations because, while they haven't exactly sent super hot masterpieces this decade, I thought some efforts would have deserved a better fate (Senhora do mar (Negras águas), Vida Minha, Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa), and the fact they hadn't won even once in 48 years of participation was quite sad to me. Actually, I always had lots of respect towards the Portuguese because they never traded their culture, language and sound off for points or better placings - they never blended in the mainstream wave everyone (including countries that fought it some time like Serbia, Israel, Bulgaria) has adopted since then. I was glad to see them comeback this year, but I feared they would actually end up sending a song in English that could have come from anywhere. Thankfully, they sent "Amar Pelos Dois", a jazzy ballad with a throwback to the early days of the twentieth century. It started with strings whose arrangements are reminiscent of a past musical era: some say it's timeless, some say it's dated, sure thing is that we don't hear such arrangements anymore these days. Then Salvador began to sing with a quiet jazzy piano accompaniment: the contrast between his soft "high" notes and the lower key of the piano were delightful imo. Strings reappeared during the chorus, giving more depth and intensity to that part while keeping it acoustic-sounding. An e
larating short instrumental break ensued, I really like that they went for a "quartet" type of formation rather than a full blown orchestra-like one, which would have lost the genuineness and intimacy of the sound, because the song is all about the organic and acoustic atmosphere set with few instruments, which allows both the composition musicality and Salvador's voice to shine. Then the next part played with silences and short strings parts, giving the listener an unexpected twist in this mellow piece of music. Finally, the strings and piano came together once again until the end. It's not an interesting song to describe like I do because the pared-down arrangements are what makes it authentic, one has to listen to it to experience the full emotion and power the song holds. As I said, there is just a piano, some strings and a voice, yet it doesn't sound empty or boring because the melody and jazzy interpretation are the elements that "give motion" to the song. It's also very cinematic: one could imagine this song in a romantic movie or a good ol' Disney cartoon. Personally, every time I listen to it, I picture Salvador dressed as a dandy wandering the streets of Lisboa while thinking about his beloved.
In a contest where fireworks, dramatic and over-the-top songs are common, having a heartfelt, stripped-down and non-trendy effort can stand out and do wonders. Pros: it's a jazzy ballad (I love jazz music, especially the quiet/ballad sub-category), cinematic and melodic composition, classy and pared-down arrangements, it's entirely sung in PORTUGUESE! Cons: It's not a drawback per se, but the clear "oldie" throwback might put some people off, personally, I had to get used to it.
My personal highlight of the song is the intrumental break sandwiched between the two parts of the first chorus, I think the strings arrangements there are marvelous and memorable and the build-up doesn't lose momentum thanks to that part. Me approves of it.
-Vocally, that's where most of the magic happens. Far from the screaming divas we usually get in Eurovision, Salvador gave us fragility and intimacy, which people can easily relate to I guess. We had the pleasure to hear the vibes and improvisation abilities proper to jazz artists, as well as a rollercoaster of notes - from high ones to low ones - the melody covers a nice part of Salvador's vocal range. While Luisa did a good job at performing it during the rehearsals, I feel like Salvador elevates and connects with the song much more. His vocal tone is very pleasant and he - of course - delivered when it mattered.
-Visually, Luisa did a good job at giving her own composition a nice setting that neither overpowered it nor harmed it due to a lack of visuals. The first clever idea was to put Salvador on the little island-shaped platform, which made him stand out from rest of the competitors since no one (except Hungary I guess) used it and prevented any potential issue of stage emptiness by bringing him as close to the audience as possible. That way, the led screens also became secondary, I don't think many people cared about the background during his performances tbh. The visuals were forested, with tree trunks and heavy foliages, which were blue at first (like daybreak) and turned green and bright later on (like the sun entering a clearing). To me, it looked organic, peaceful and "unnoticeable" enough to be tasteful, no emphasis was put on the background, which I approved of. I liked the colour scheme (the shades of blue and green and black contrasted nicely with Salvador's skintone imo. It was pleasing to watch, while not being dull. It "dressed" the song appropriately, without taking the lead over the performance, which is how it should be done imo: visuals are there to enhance the power of the song, not make up for the lack of it. Camera-wise, I have nothing particular to say, I think it was rather well filmed: Salvador never looked at the camera yet he managed to connect with the viewers (unlike Anja for instance). I liked the camera that moved around him and behind him, highlighting the fact he was alone on stage, surrounded by little lights in the audience. Outfit-wise, Salvador wore a loose black tuxedo, which apart from concealing his heart device (I guess that was the reason?) was the perfect choice for the contest: it didn't look dull or too casual for the contest, yet it didn't look too overdone either. To me, he looked like a cute and sexy conductor
I also liked his hairstyle, which was much more my cup of tea than the little ponytail he had during the NF. Overall, I say thank you Luisa! She knew how to make the most of the stage. Well done!
-Results-wise, I was expecting nothing because, well... it's Portugal! After Salvador's semi performance though, there was no doubt they would qualify. However, I didn't expect them to win because I thought the televoters wouldn't put him first, I thought he would have done a Michal Szpak (like 3rd), and juries would probably opt for something dull first, it seems like I was wrong. Firstly, juries ranking Portugal first was strange to me because it's not really what they tend to like (I mean they hated Poland last year, which had a timeless quality as well) and there is not one bit of English (what happened to the "international hit-potential bs"?). As for viewers, I'm very delighted they bought it so much, we know there is a market for off-the-trends music in Eurovision and it showed. At least, this year no one will complain about the winner since Salvador won both rankings. "Amar Pelos Dois" has never been among my hot favourite songs, but I respected it for bringing something different to this edition: even though the song is not technically hitherto unseen, it simply brought a retro-jazz flavour we haven't heard of in decades. So artistically, I supported it from the start and I think the contest needed a winning song like that (classy, high-end, meaningful and not euro-pop), it could have been a San Remo winner tbh. But more than that, symbolically a Portuguese victory was the icing on the cake: after so many years of participation, it is really moving to see them reach heights with one of their best efforts ever, WITHOUT selling out. In my personal ranking, "Amar Pelos Dois" is currently 11th, but it just keeps growing on me and I feel like Salvador will soon kick someone's butt in my top 10. As I said, I respected the entry from the beginning and enjoyed the performances, but I had to get used to the song to fully appreciate it, hence why it's a grower to me. To conclude, congratulations to Portugal, you manage to win with a song devoid of visual gimmicks or musical hooks, it's not a song that will chart for years in 30 countries or people will ever be able to sing along, but who cares? That's the beauty of music and live performances, people may be touched in an instant regardless of language or musical preferences. It just happens. To briefly approach his alleged controversial speech, Salvador actually didn't wait to win to say fireworks and stuff weren't his cup of tea, he said the same thing during an interview on the red carpet of the opening ceremony (while praising Italy for bringing their own type of meaningful effort). I guess he was entitled to thank people in his own say while pointing out what we are all aware of (isn't what winner's speeches are for?), the tea was hot and needed to be spilled, and I sipped it because I would have personally said the same thing, rather than commonplaces meant to rub masses up the right way. Seeing both Jamala and Salvador - aka the best winners of this decade imo and, coincidentally, both jazz artists - on stage was a surreal and fantastic feeling. Two great winners in a row is too good to be true!
See you next year in Lisbon, RTP is surprising me in such a good way I can't believe it, I'm confident they will bring the house down. Hopefully, it will be the beginning of a qualitative and successful era for the Portuguese, and may the 2018 edition be a good one entry-wise, 2017 wasn't that great tbh. Nos vemos no próximo ano
Sending good thoughts 
