Outlaw in 'Em / Waylon / The Netherlands | Review

Waylon returns to Eurovision for The Netherlands

There was a time when The Netherlands' pitiful sequence of successive semi-final failures seemed as if they would go on indefinitely. Anouk finally brought them back into Grand Final territory in 2013 and, apart from one blip, the Dutch team has managed to see a continuation in the upturn of their contest fortunes. The country's best recent result came courtesy of The Common Linnets - half of which returns to Eurovision this year as Waylon will sing Outlaw in 'Em in semi-final 2.

Now, if some observers were convinced that Calm After the Storm was too subdued for Eurovision voters, then Outlaw in 'Em should satisfy most of those doubters. It's a cracking guitar-driven Country rocker that you'd expect to hear blasting from a sound system in the deep south of the United States. It’s undeniably brash and gutsy but, in some respects, it sounds like it would find a better home on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry than competing with the glitz and razzle-dazzle of Eurovision.

While Calm After The Storm didn't feel as if it had an immediate hook on its first outing, Outlaw in 'Em's uptempo, sawdust kickin' rhythm seems as if it could grab a large proportion of the audience without too much trouble. It has virtually no direct competition and, while this type of country music has very little European-chart appeal, its professional quality could engage those with the usual negative Eurovision sentiment. Further, if the juries decide to reward contestant familiarity, along with strong vocals and musicianship, then Waylon could make a lot of Top 10 lists as well.

However, as subsequent songs have been announced, it appears that Outlaw in 'Em has dropped down the rankings among the fandom, but I think it still feels as if it could surprise. A berth in the Grand Final seems assured and, once there, it's unlikely to be forgotten. Much depends where it lands in the running order, but I've an inkling that this will perform a lot better than the Dutch entries of 2016 and 2017.

Image by Albin Olsson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Netherlands 

Artist: Waylon

Song: Outlaw in 'Em 

Semi-Final 2 | First Half

Eurovision 2016: Review: Netherlands: Douwe Bob: Slow Down

Going Dutch: Douwe Bob will slow it down in Stockholm

Following last year's inauspicious showing by the Dutch when Trijntje Oosterhuis failed to make the final, the Eurovision fortunes of The Netherlands this year are in the hands of the 23-year-old singer-songwriter, Douwe Bob. Another graduate of a reality TV show, he was chosen as the Dutch representative in late September last year. However, we all had to wait until the beginning of March to discover that the song he'll perform in Stockholm is called Slow Down.

The Netherlands return to the guitar-driven, laid-back country styling which The Common Linnets so satisfyingly provided in 2014 - only this time the rhythm and the melody possess a lighter, upbeat quality. Co-written by Douwe Bob, one can imagine sitting in an American bar somewhere in, say Tennessee, and this track playing in the background.

It's very simple in its construction, but also very instant. The hook in the chorus is strikingly memorable and the positive message to try and abandon many of the pressures of life is likely to resonate with much of the audience across Europe.

If there are any doubts about the entry, then the repetitive nature of the lyric in such a short song duration may not be to everyone's taste. However, Douwe Bob seems quite the charmer and if anyone can sell this song, then he can.

Of course, much of this entry's success will depend on its staging. Hans Pannecoucke, the Flemish video director, will return once more to help the Dutch in this respect following his involvement in 2014 and 2015. If his vision matches or exceeds the expectations of the Eurovision audience, then Slow Down should fly into the Final with ease.

Once there, the song could prove to be a surprise. Perhaps, not the revelation that The Common Linnets produced a couple of years ago, but an Anouk-style Top 10 finish is not out of the question.

What do you think?

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Eurovision 1975: And the UK's 12 Points Go to...The Netherlands!

Teach-In

"And twelve points go to..."

It was 1975 and a new scoring system had just been introduced at the Eurovision Song Contest - one which is still employed today. Those famous words may have since been etched into the cultural landscape, but to whom have the UK's twelve points been awarded over the years? Did the Brits generally agree with the winner or did they often prefer another song?

What was the UK's decision in 1975?

If the 1974 Contest was any kind of barometer of the UK's nose for a winner, then the British had clearly been thrown off the scent. Of course, the much-lauded ABBA were the champs that year, but the UK judges decided the Swedish group deserved nothing - and that's exactly what they gave them!

1975 was different, though. Nineteen acts took to the stage in Stockholm with The Shadows from the UK starting out as the competition's favourites. However, as the voting progressed, it became clear that the result was likely between two nations: the Brits and the Dutch.

By the time it was the UK's turn to vote - the 9th country to award points - The Netherlands had collected just one set of maximum votes and had handed The Shadows just a paltry four points. In comparison, the UK had received twelve points from three countries and looked worthy of their pre-Contest status.

As it turned out, the United Kingdom's top mark went to the Dutch, beginning a steady stream of twelve points heading in the direction of The Netherlands in the second half of the voting. It was enough to seal a fourth victory for the Pays Bas (Holland to you and me), this year represented by Teach-In and their naggingly catchy ditty, Ding-A-Dong.

By this time, the band had been around for six years with group members seemingly changing on a regular basis. At home, they had enjoyed moderate success on the Dutch charts during 1974, while one of their singles - In the Summernight - even found favour in South Africa.

But, of course, it was the band's Eurovision victory which really brought them to international attention - if only for a short period. Ding-A-Dong climbed into most European charts - notably topping both the listings in Switzerland and Norway, while even managing a Top 20 placing in the UK. Perhaps more surprising was the song's popularity in the US where it scaled the Adult Contemporary chart to peak at Number 22.

This success brought its own pressures however and, after yet more personnel changes, the band split for good in the early 1980s leaving in its wake one of Eurovision's more memorable, yet lyrically bizarre, winners.

 The UK's Eurovision Top 3 in 1975

The Netherlands: Teach-In: Ding-A-Dong - 12 points

Italy: Wess and Dori Ghezzi: Era - 10 points

France: Nicole Rieu: Et bonjour à toi l'artiste - 8 points

JESC 2015: Five More Eurovision Song Reviews

As Sofia, Bulgaria prepares to host the 13th annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest on 21 November, here are five more song reviews, this time covering the entries from Montenegro, The Netherlands, Russia, San Marino and Slovenia:

Montenegro

Jana Mirković: Oluja (Олуја) Storm

Montenegro return to the Junior version of Eurovision for just the second time under their own flag.

This year the country is pinning its hopes on a pretty 15-year-old called Jana Mirković, who was chosen internally at the beginning of July.

She'll be singing a sunny, up tempo ditty by the name of Oluja, which translates as Storm in English. However, the song is anything but stormy, sounding instead as if it was composed in the glorious sunshine of Rio de Janiero. It's a toe tapper with an appropriately non-stop samba rhythm and an annoyingly memorable chorus.

Written by the same team that brought us Serbia's winning Eurovision song of 2007, Montenegro should feel confident that Oluja will do well.  7½/10.

See the official video for Oluja here

Netherlands

Shalisa: Million Lights

The Netherlands have participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in each year since its inception in 2003. 2015 sees Shalisa (another 15-year-old) representing the country and hoping to replicate its 2009 victory.

Million Lights is the song that she will take to Sofia, having won Holland's national selection process in early October.

Unsurprisingly, it's a well produced entry from the Dutch: a piano-driven mid-tempo ballad which is sung with confidence by the teenager. Its sentiment and overall mood is similar to Russia's A Million Voices from the main Eurovision event earlier in the year.

Whether it can do as well as that song remains to be seen, but its a valiant effort and should see The Netherlands in the Top 5.  8/10.

See the official video for Million Lights here

Russia

Mikhail Smirnov: Mechta (Dream) (Мечта)

It seems strange to think that a 12-year-old is already a well-seasoned performer on both stage and television. The facts are that Mikhail Smirnov is an experienced actor - having appeared in musical theatre in Russia - as well as becoming a finalist on the country's version of The Voice: Kids.

It's no surprise then that he should win the ticket to represent Russia at Junior Eurovision in Bulgaria. He was up against eight other competitors in the national final, but the jury preferred Mechta - the kind of ballad the Russians do so well.

It's a strong entry - if a little sugary - enhanced by Mikhail's confidently striking vocals. Nevertheless, it tends to rely heavily on the chorus; the verses are inclined to drift and become uninteresting. But we are talking Russia here, so a comfortably high placing on the scoreboard is almost inevitable.  8½/10

See the official video for Mechta here

San Marino

Kamilla Ismailova: Mirror

San Marino deserve to do well in Eurovision and the 2015 Junior event could break the run of bad luck which has dogged the tiny microstate.

This year, San Marino goes out on a limb somewhat by picking a young Russian girl by the name of Kamilla Ismailova as its singer. In fact, it seems Kamilla picked San Marino.

Having visited the country as a young(er) girl, the way of life left an impression on her - so she decided to send her song to relevant producers and soon found herself the representative.

Mirror is a well-constructed ballad which possesses a killer chorus - one that you will soon find yourself humming along to. It's repeated often enough to create an earworm, so should make enough of an impression to reel in a large haul of points.  8¾/10.

See the official video for Mirror here

Slovenia

Lina Kuduzović: Prva ljubezen (First Love)

At just 12-years-old, Lina Kuduzović is already something of a seasoned performer in Slovenia. It all started with her victory on the country's version of the "Got Talent" franchise, followed up by triumphs in several singing competitions.

That success brought her to the heats of the Slovenian Junior Eurovision national final in which she competed against five other hopefuls. She won the event in early October with the song Prva ljubezen (First Love), a sweeping ballad co-composed by Slovenia's 2015 senior representatives, Maraaya.

It's a song which showcases Lina's strong, wistful vocals - even if in one of the live performances there were hints of pitch problems at the beginning of the track. That minor issue aside, Slovenia should figure more prominently on the scoreboard than the 12th place achieved in their début year of 2014.  8/10.

See a live performance of Prva ljubezen here

More Junior Eurovision reviews to come!

The Netherlands: Who is Douwe Bob?

Douwe Bob

Douwe Bob to Represent the Netherlands at Eurovision 2016

You have to hand it to the Dutch: at least they're now daring enough to send some quality acts to Eurovision, even if the results are not all that they would have hoped for.

Following Trijntje Oosterhuis's semi-final blip in 2015, enter stage right a young man by the name of Douwe Bob (Posthuma), who will endeavour to steady the ship for The Netherlands in Stockholm. Although another product of the TV talent show conveyor belt, he has since enjoyed some considerable commercial success in his homeland.

He first came to the Dutch public's attention when, in 2012, he was victorious on television's The Best Singer-Songwriter in the Netherlands - a title which Posthuma himself considers somewhat ridiculous.

Nevertheless, his first self-composed outing was courtesy of Multicoloured Angels - a fast paced rocker with Country and Folk flavourings. Certainly a song which would have found favour in America's Country heartland, it soon became apparent that the Dutch definitely enjoyed it. They sent the track into the nation's Top 5, while its parent album, the self-penned Born in a Storm, sailed into the Top 10.

It is this country influence which permeates the majority of Posthuma's compositions - from the old school sounds of Johnny Cash to the roots rock of Chris Isaak, whose vocal styling Douwe Bob seems to accomplish with ease.

His voice has also been heard in duet with a previous Dutch Eurovision luminary, of course. The country's 2013 representative Anouk joined him on the song Hold Me earlier this year and this too proved to be a resounding success on the Dutch National Chart.

So, what can we expect from the 22-year-old at the 61st Eurovision Song Contest?

With Posthuma's proclivity for country rock, the Dutch team are cannily retracing a path fruitfully trodden by The Common Linnets in 2014.

At the time, what Ilse DeLange and Waylon gave the competition was the unexpected. No-one had previously tried their low key, yet modern country sound at Eurovision, probably believing that its chances of victory would be very slim. Add to that a toned down presentation and many were reluctant to give Calm After the Storm any hope of triumph.

However, The Netherlands could prove to be a dark horse again in 2016. In Douwe Bob, the nation has a high calibre performer who can sing live as well as write and produce memorable contemporary songs. He also succeeds in the somewhat shallow requirement of looking good for the television cameras.

The real question is though: 'Is he ready for the enormity of Eurovision?'

As a taster, here's a live rendition of the 2015 track Sweet Sunshine

Image by Jaap Stolk (wikiportret.nl) [CC BY 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Eurovision 2015: Netherlands: Trijntje Oosterhuis: Walk Along

Trijntje Oosterhuis: This Is The Season

If you know anything about Dutch popular music, you'll know that Trijntje Oosterhuis has been one of The Netherlands' biggest recording stars, having enjoyed commercial success at home since the mid-1990s. She will now display her considerable talent in Vienna on the 2015 Eurovision stage performing the song Walk Along.

Before embarking on her productive solo career however, she was part of the band Total Touch with her brother, Tjeerd. The pair secured two multi-platinum selling albums in the Dutch charts before breaking up. Since then, Trijntje has registered five Top 5 albums of her own.

Her last one was released in 2012 and entitled Wrecks We Adore. It was a Dutch Number 1 and produced by Holland's 2013 representative, Anouk, who registered a Top 10 Eurovision placing with the song Birds. Anouk has now composed Walk Along as the country's 2015 entry, seemingly providing backing vocals to the track as well.

Unlike Birds (and Calm After the Storm) however, the song's release has come particularly early for the Dutch entry. Both The Common Linnets' and Anouk's efforts were not announced until April/May of their respective years.

Timing aside, Walk Along is revealed as a jaunty, singalong acoustic guitar-driven composition which not only highlights Trijntje's superior voice, but also the obvious talent and influence of Anouk.

Her impact belies Trijntje's preference for the jazz genre, instead giving this track a more modern pop/rock feel. Initially, it sounds more accessible than the Dutch songs of the past two years, but they both did well without the cheery banality that infects a lot of Eurovision's output.

That's not to say that Walk Along is unimaginative and uninspired. It has a good hook with a memorable chorus, although some might find irritating the obvious repetitiveness in the second half of the song.

Hopefully, that won't harm its chances in qualifying for the Final next year. I'd like to see The Netherlands there again.

How about you?

Above image by Henk Bezemer (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Eurovision 2014: Netherlands: Calm After the Storm

The Netherlands: The Common Linnets

This year The Netherlands follows up Anouk's stunning Birds with the country flavour of Calm After the Storm by Dutch "super group", The Common Linnets.

Once again, there was no national final in Holland, so the combination of singers Ilse DeLange and Waylon was selected as its representatives by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS. The two have joined forces as The Common Linnets, both for The Eurovision Song Contest and as a side project to their very successful solo careers, in an attempt to bring home the trophy for the first time in 39 years.

Calm After the Storm is no Ding-A-Dong, though. It is very much rooted in the modern country music currently created in studios such as those based in Nashville, Tennessee. If you are aware of, or listen to groups such as Lady Antebellum, then you will have an idea of the styling of the song.

In interviews, the pair have stated that the track deals with the possible breakdown of a relationship. The restrained, even haunting, simplicity of just their voices and guitars gives the track an emotional depth needed for such subject matter. It makes it a beautiful stand out from most of the songs in the competition this year.

However, if there is any problem with Calm After the Storm, it's that it may just be too sleepy and laid back for some. It's not the type of song that one would readily associate with Eurovision. Of course, many songs have been written about break-ups, but is the overall tone and presentation just too serious for the competition? Only time will tell.

More importantly, will it get votes? The difficulty with country music on this side of the Atlantic is that it's not overly popular. It's a huge industry in the US, but in Europe we tend to ignore it. This puts the song in a very grey area. Yes, it's well produced and presented, but voters may be drawn to songs which are more accessible and instantly memorable.

I'm not a great lover of country music myself, but I do hope this makes the Grand Final just to counterbalance some of the power ballads and more uptempo songs that are bound to be featured on May 10.

What are your thoughts?

The Common Linnets to Represent The Netherlands at Eurovision 2014

At a press conference today, the Dutch broadcaster TROS announced that their representative at Eurovision 2014 will be a duo comprised of Ilse DeLange and Waylon. They will be called The Common Linnets and will perform solely for the competition.

  

Ilse DeLange is one of Holland's most popular singers, having achieved six Number One studio albums on the Dutch charts out of seven released. Her most recent is called Eye of the Hurricane and was first available in 2012. It spawned three Top 40 singles in The Netherlands, the most successful of which is Hurricane.

 

Waylon came to public attention through the reality show Holland's Got Talent in 2008. He finished in second place, but has since released successful albums and singles and has continued to perform regularly. Here's one of his tracks from 2009: Wicked Way.

 

What do you think of Holland's choice?

Eurovision: Netherlands: Sandra Reemer

Sandra Reemer may not be a familiar name to modern day Eurovision fans, but back in the 1970s she was very much a part of the competition. During that decade, she appeared on three occasions - in different guises - representing The Netherlands. Are any of these songs familiar to you?

 Her first attempt at Eurovision glory was in 1972 when she teamed up with Dries Holten to sing Als het om de liefde gaat (When It Comes to Love). The pair were already a successful recording duo in Holland, so the nation had high hopes of doing well. Selected internally by the Dutch public broadcaster, Sandra and Andres performed just three songs in the national final and Als... was the clear winner.

They took to the stage in Edinburgh on March 25, 1972, performing last in a field of 18, dressed in fluorescent green and sounding very much like Holland's popular Mouth and MacNeal - the catchy tune causing the audience to clap along to it in its final stages. Very much a song of its time, it eventually ranked fourth with 106 points behind the superior Après toi by winner Vicky Leandros who represented Luxembourg.

Undeterred, Sandra Reemer returned to the Contest in 1976, this time as a solo singer. She won a close run national final in The Hague while her song, The Party's Over, ran into some controversy.

Listening to it, you can understand the accusations of plagiarism. It does bear an uncanny resemblance to the Mary Hopkin hit, Those Were the Days, from eight years earlier. However, the claims were investigated and the EBU declared that, while there were some similarities, the melodies were different. Luckily for Sandra, the party wasn't over. Perhaps the stars were aligning for Ms. Reemer instead? Eurovision was taking place in The Netherlands, thanks to Teach-In and Holland's other three-time participant, Corry Brokken, was presenting.

Again, she was competing against seventeen other nations and the draw was not so kind to her, performing in eighth place. 1976 was also a pretty strong year, with solid entries from Brotherhood of Man (UK) and Catherine Ferry (France). In the event, the party never really got going. The highest single vote was the eight from Israel and the song finished midway down the scoreboard in ninth place with a total of 56 points. 

By now you would have thought Sandra Reemer had had enough of Eurovision, but she returned for one last attempt, this time as the lead vocalist of the band Xandra (in fact, Xandra was merely an adopted name for the singer).

Colorado was the winning song at the Dutch final in Amsterdam, garnering a healthy 94-point lead over the runner-up, Lieveling. In Jerusalem, it was drawn fourteenth in the running order in a field of nineteen entries.

Of Ms. Reemer's three songs, this was the one which performed worst in terms of its final placing. Once all the points had been awarded, The Netherlands found itself in twelfth place with 51 points. Quite honestly, it's not that surprising. It's repetitive, bland and easily forgettable. For an entry from The Netherlands, it also comes across as very amateurish, both in staging and presentation. I haven't heard the others, but this one really should have remained in its national final. 

Sandra Reemer made one further appearance at Eurovision, not as the featured artist, but as one of the backing singers to Bernadette's Dutch entry Sing Me A Song in 1983.

Do you have any memories of Sandra Reemer at Eurovision or thoughts about her songs?

Image: By M.N.A. van den Bogaart (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Eurovision 2013: Netherlands: Birds

Anouk: Birds

Birds is the Eurovision song entry from The Netherlands this year and it will be sung by one of Holland's most successful and current artists: Anouk.

Miss Teeuwe is hoping to reverse the country's recent bad results, evidenced by its inability to progress past the semi-final stages since their inception in 2004. Birds should do it for The Netherlands, even if it's not your regular pop song.

One would expect something rockier from Anouk, but this track is instead a hauntingly beautiful ballad. Non fans have referred to it as a "dirge", though on repeated listenings it's easy to appreciate its appeal. It's more complex than your usual Eurovision song, which does not bode well with the tele-voting, but will be a hit with the juries. If there's any justice, Birds should fly into the final and land a Top 5 placing.

The Netherlands will present their song in position eight of the first semi-final on May 14.

What do you think?

Eurovision 2011: The Netherlands: 3JS

The Netherlands has chosen the song Je vecht nooit alleen, sung by the band 3JS as its entry for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. The band has become immensely popular in its homeland, with its first three albums registering in the Dutch Top 10.

Following the Netherlands disastrous results in recent years, 3JS was picked as the country's representative last summer. After submitting several songs, Je vecht nooit alleen (You Will Never Fight Alone) was chosen from a 50/50 public/jury vote. It will be performed in the first half of the second semi-final.

Well, at last The Netherlands comes up with a contemporary sound instead of its recent dismal journeys into Eurovision hell. This actually sounds like a song that you could hear on the radio right now, and one that could easily grow over time.

While it is sung in Dutch (wondering whether there will be an English version?), it rolls along nicely in a slightly country/pop vein.

If there is any justice, 2011 should see The Netherlands back in the Final.

What are your thoughts about the Dutch entry?