"Umorne oči odmaraš, začaraš..."'Timeless' is not a word people often use in praise of Eurovision entries. It generally applies to anything towards the ballad end of the scale, and is usually a diplomatic synonym for "doesn't make any effort to sound contemporary whatsoever". Which is not a bad thing per se, since in production terms at least they remain modern takes on classic sounds, with today's technology bringing out the best in any well-structured composition. This is very much the case with the Croatian entry for Moscow, Lijepa Tena, which opens the 2nd semi-final with none of the trashy sensibilities of its near-neighbour and fellow opener Montenegro: a delightful slice of Adriatic yesteryear, it is a perfect song to listen to over and over again, but may lack the immediacy it needs to convince viewers.
Coming straight after actual neighbours Bosnia and Herzegovina in the running order, if separated by two nights and an entire semi, Croatia shows as much of a talent for acoustic and percussive layering with Lijepa Tena, whilst being about as different from Bistra Voda as they could possibly be. Their entry is another song made for headphones and repeated listens, each one throwing up a new aspect of the arrangement and orchestration to marvel at. Whether this depth of sound reaches the audience (and whether they appreciate it) is one thing; whether the sheer Croatianness of it translates is another. It should: Lijepa Tena, like almost all of the country's entries, couldn't come from anywhere else, but has the kind of sound that crosses borders further than just the other side of the Danube.
Of course, the audience being sold on the song has less to do with how it sounds in and of itself and more to do with how crooner Igor Cukrov makes it sound - and here we come to the crux of the problem Lijepa Tena will have to overcome. Archetypal ballads need someone delivering them who can do so without making the audience go "ooh, had enough of that". Igor has a fine voice for this kind of song, but possibly not the wont to rein it in, and as a result treads an equally fine line. The addition of the lovely Andrea is a good idea in theory, but her vocals may well eclipse the lead singer's and/or underscore their weaknesses. Ms Šušnjara is undoubtedly a trump card for the song, but for Croatia's sake she and Mr Cukrov will need to have fine-tuned their approach to Lijepa Tena to really get it across to viewers the way it deserves to be.
That said, the song's fate is hard to predict even if they perform the pants off it. The very nature of Lijepa Tena could see it win widespread approval, but its obvious roots could restrict its appeal to its own corner of the world -which, while not insubstantial, may not be enough to earn it an onward ticket to the final. If it is done justice on stage I would like to see it there, since it is a quality entry, and probably Croatia's most accessible in European terms of the last five years. Timeless it may be, but then it's been many a year since Eurovision was a product of its time.
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