Stockholm 2016

Xtra Review: Douwe Bob – Slow Down (The Netherlands)

It’s been almost 6 months since Douwe Bob was confirmed by Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS as the entry for The Netherlands at Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm, but today we finally got to hear the song.
As ever, everyone has an opinion, but obviously none matter more than our’s here at escXtra, so here’s what we make of the long-awaited Dutch entry…

Brent: It’s definitely not like any of the other songs in this years contest. Maybe a little bit too country. I wasn’t as grabbed by this as I have been with other, but that said I’m a sucker for a dance beat not a 6 string guitar.
Matteo: A credible choice. I appreciate the fact that they started taking the contest more seriously (even Trijntje wasn’t that bad – up until the dress debacle and awful staging) and this is a demonstration that they are really in it to win it. I don’t think it will (the country genre is not a thing for everyone), but definitely a good placing.
Dan: Brilliant! I really really like this. It reminds me of Eagle Eye Cherry which isn’t a bad thing and it’s a style that I don’t think many Eurovision artists would even consider doing. The chorus is repetitive but works well as I found myself humming along before the end of the first listen. I don’t expect it to rank highly with the fans but I reckon it could easily sneak into the top 5 with good staging.
Luke: Much like last year, the song is over after the first chorus. It doesn’t go anywhere, and while going down the country route is likely to make this a more credible genre with a jury I can’t see why you’d pick the phone up and vote for this. We’re still saying only 5 (at best) go through for the top half if you follow the stats, so this has an uphill battle.
Simon: Dreary yet pleasant and different yet predictable.
Nick: As a Dutchman, today was D-Day and it has turned out to be Dreadful Day. The moment this man was selected to represent us, I was clueless what they were trying to achieve. Sixth with bookmakers? No, that’s not worth it. Even me being a massive country music fan can’t improve this. Repetitive, bland, nothingy and it’s a good thing that it’s just 150 seconds. I doubt Europe will go for this. It’s in the middle of the road and that’s exactly where it’s sitting for me now, about 12th. This song is just a sign from Avrotros that winning is nowhere near their list of priorities. I’d love to stand behind our entry and cheer on our man for Stockholm, but with this, I can’t.
Wivian: Not bad! I’m actually very pleasantly surprised by this song. Having listened to the things he’s done before I didn’t really expect a lot, but this is much better than I feared. It will stand out, a lot of people are “secret” country fans, it might score well with the juries… I don’t see this winning, but a top 10 should be doable, if he performs it well and the staging works. I really wish I didn’t understand the lyrics, though…cliché upon cliché upon cliché… For now, though, despite the lyrics, this is definitely in my top 10.
Peter: Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting to feel much of anything towards this, but I really like it! It’s a great breezy track that I can imagine listening to while driving along on a summer’s day. I like the melody and the subtle change of key from verse to chorus, and I don’t find it quite as repetitive as some people have called it out as being – it doesn’t outstay its welcome like ‘Walk Along’ did. It may not be in your face and obviously competitive, but I think there will be enough of an appreciative audience for this to qualify with ease.
Nathan: Ooh, this is surprisingly nice and sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place in the soundtrack to a Shrek film. It feels very repetitive by the time you hit the two minute mark so it’s almost a saving grace that it’s only just longer than two and a half minutes.
Liam: Oh, it’s nice enough I suppose…
Of course you may not agree with any of us – whether you do or not, make sure to let us know via our Twitter page, @escXtra.
 

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