Earlier today, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — set off on a tour around Switzerland, to take in the culture as well as the six acts and songs competing in Die Grosse Entschediungsshow on January 31. First up, we have Deborah Bough from the municipality of Rivera, close to Lugano, with her song “Take Me Back to 23”.
Renske: This song is really professional and could be a radio hit. Deborah could be the Swiss sister of Alesha Dixon. I totally don’t mind if this goes to Vienna — it’s something totally different from the more folksy tunes of Sebalter, Takasa and Anna Rossenelli… and maybe that’s what makes this song special.
Score: 8/10
Anthony: The title may suggest taking Deborah back to 23, but part of me says the song sounds a little dated and probably doesn’t quite work in the 21st century. And I can’t see this making much of an impact in Vienna either.
Score: 5/10
Patrick: Deborah is a really talented young girl with a good voice and great dance moves. But I’m reaaally unsure about her song. The title seems cheap and the song is just a bit dated. But her voice is damn good and that’s my problem. If she had a decent song, she could do amazingly well but I’m not a fan of this one. I would fire the composer!
Score: 2.5/10
Sami: I was really shocked this was chosen instead of “Your Perfume“. I’m not the biggest fan. Dated. Annoying. I can’t see how this would do well in Vienna.
Score: 3/10
Ramadan: One word: DATED. Yes, it’s really fun and funky, and some of the lyrics really make me laugh. But the song isn’t strong enough and will be forgotten. But I must admit, it’s really catchy. Deborah Bough has a good song, but she deserves a more modern one.
Score: 5/10
Sopon: I really wanted to make a joke like “Take Me Back To (19)23”, but I’d be about 50 years too early. It’s totes 1970s, but done fabulously and filled with soul. J’adore!
Score: 10/10
Angus: I have such Alphabeat vibes – especially from their second album The Spell. It’s pure bubblegum pop, sprinkled with a few jazzy guitar riffs to keep things above average. Let’s not kid ourselves, though – this is pure national final filler. This is too light and fluffy to make it out of either semi-final and enjoyable as it is – there’s no way this could or should win in Switzerland. I don’t know where 23 is but I hope Deb’s friends are on hand to take her back and help her lick her wounds when she doesn’t win.
Score: 5/10
Zach: I like this entry! It’s very soulful, and Deborah’s playful voice makes it both sultry and fun to listen to. It’s very catchy, the lyrics are unique, and her vocals are very much on point. It would be interesting to see Switzerland send something so “soul” oriented after the folk tunes of the past two contests, but I think it would bring them an enviable result!
Score: 8.5/10
Josh: The song didn’t grab me immediately, and didn’t really build to anything. It’s a little boring and I can see this getting lost in the crowd during the Swiss NF. The disco vibe reminds me quite a lot of Lithuania 2012, and not in a good way. Meh.
Score: 4/10
Deban: “Take Me Back To 23” takes flight on the first beat. Deborah Bough oozes sophistication. Her sassy moves will court enough voters to secure Switzerland a good finish if she advances to Vienna. However, her song requires some re-working and Deborah needs to rein back the mildly irritating “take me back” refrain, which currently accounts for nearly a third of it.
Score: 8/10
William: “Is it sexual or love?” I don’t know. But I do know that I love Deborah’s energy and voice and even her hair. She’s a real talent and performer. Unfortunately, I think this song is beneath her. It’s cheap and dated, and makes me think that at 23 she was in a downmarket strip club. I’m glad Switzerland has put her in the final, and I hope she’ll return next year with a song worthy of her talent.
Score: 6.5/10
Robyn: This is a really bright, fun pop song with lashings of Jamiroquai-style funk and an especially strong chorus. It’s packed full of hooks and is captivating right from the start. The one weird thing that stands out – the line “is it sexual or love” actually sounds a bit too adult for Eurovision, but it could always be reworded.
Score: 7/10
Chris: Deborah is a really good singer and that’s evident throughout “Take Me Back to 23”. It’s good that the song allows her some moments to shine as well. Unfortunately, the song isn’t anything too ground-breaking and certainly wouldn’t stand out amongst the crowd in Vienna (without some major work) – but Deborah is a passionate singer and brings a great element of fun, which helps to counter-balance these issues. I’d be surprised if she won, but wouldn’t be disappointed.
Score: 7/10
The highest and lowest scores have been removed before calculating the final scores to avoid bias. We have removed a high of 10 and a low of 2.5
The Wiwi Jury Verdict: 6.1/10
You can read all of our reviews and rankings for Die Grosse Entscheidungsshow by clicking here. You can also keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following the team from wiwibloggs.com on Twitter @wiwibloggs and by liking our Facebook page.
Photos courtesy of Deborah Bough
I love it, one of my favourites in fact, great voice and fun musical style.
The song has actually grown on me, I wouldn’t mind it or Melanie Rene’s song winning. It’s underrated, unlike Timebelle
Deborah has an amazing, strong voice, and recent results at both ESC and JESC have shown that’s the new trend, vocal wise. The song is fun, danceable, catchy, though I do worry that it doesn’t stand out quite enough. It’s wouldn’t be a bad choice for the Swiss.
This is the exact kind of music I can’t stand….70s disco. The song is just so annoying and it’s my least favourite of the final. 2/10
People, not all music needs to sound like it was made tomorrow and wrapped in a perfectly mastered, pitch-corrected and reverbed box with today’s most popular synth sounds… then again, commenters around this part were complaining that “Rise Up” sounded like a song from 2011, so we’re pretty much hopeless on that front. In any case, I for one appreciate the vibe of this song. It’s 70s inspired, but really I wouldn’t call the finished product traceable to any one time period. Which is neat. This is the best song in the Swiss final. It’s a shame Deborah doesn’t get… Read more »