:: arjanwrites music blog ::

[VIDEO] Anouk "Been Here Before" (Live at Toomler)

Dutch rocker Anouk shows us what she's made of in this very special acoustic performance of "Been Here Before" that she recorded for 3FM at Toomler in Amsterdam.

Taken from her new album "To Get Her Together," Anouk infuses the song with a powerful dose of soul, and delivers it with a poise and gusto that makes you feel every single word and emotion from your toes up. Truly compelling. Anouk sings likes she means it and she doesn't let you second guess that ever. 

What makes Anouk such a phenomenal vocalist is that she is in full control of her talent. She riffs on when it fits and restrains when required to perfectly accentuate every single note, lyric and meaning of a song to give people a truthful experience every time. Worldclass stuff. Download Anouk's music on iTunes or taking everywhere on Rdio.)

[VIDEO] Anouk "I'm A Cliche" (Video Premiere)

Leave it up to Dutch pop rocker Anouk to shake up the status quo up once in a while. After serving up a bloody album cover and sharing her candid opinions on Twitter, her fans know that Anouk doesn't shy away from a little controversy to get her point across. And the graphic new video for her excellent new single "I'm A Cliche" is a good example of that.

Directed by Dana Nechushtan and filmed in the streets of Amsterdam, the video for "I'm A Cliche" shows Anouk roaming around the Dutch capital and getting violently hit by cars and shot in the chest. But the singer has more than three lives and continues her walk around town while soulfully belting out her excellent new tune (that she wrote and produced with Ryan Leslie). "What's going on, what the hell is going," she sings and wonders, trying to make sense of the madness around her.

This fantastic new video wasn't made just for the sake of shocking viewers. Quite the opposite actually. The video for the song is a poignant social commentary about some of the absurd and narcissistic qualities of our modern society that often favors pointless sensationalism over common sense. Anouk's keen point of view is illustrated by accident bystanders who are more concerned about snapping cell phone pictures of a terrible tragedy than calling 911.

Even tough MTV censors will be scratching their heads and surely will have a hard time figuring out what to do with this video, it once again shows that Anouk likes to stir things to have people pay attention for all the right reasons. But don't be alarmed, this mama bee doesn't sting deep. It's just a little pinch to give you some food for thought. Mission accomplished. (Watch the video after the break. Warning: May be graphic to some younger viewers.)

Watch New Anouk "Killer Bee"

After letting her guard down a little on 2009's "For Bitter Or Worse," Dutch pop rocker Anouk is getting ready to unleash her new album "To Get Her Together" this upcoming May. Earlier this week, she presented the first track from that effort to give fans a bit of a taste from what's to come.

Titled "Killer Bee," this brand-spanking new track is a fresh, upbeat soul tune that neatly showcases Anouk's versatile and one-of-a-kind vocals. The song's title may seem pretty menacing, but let me assure you, this mama bee has a sweet little sting. No reason to run and hide from this "Killer Bee." Watch the video for this exclusive new track after the jump.

Watch Anouk "For Bitter Or Worse"

Anouk, Holland's undisputed leading lady of rock, just released the video for her much-anticipated new single "For Bitter Or Worse" on YouTube. The song is the title track taken from her current album, and it is hands-down one of the best tracks she has ever recorded during her two decade career.

"For Bitter Or Worse" chronicles the painful break up with Remon Stotijn, her former husband and father of her three children. The separation was widely reported in the Dutch press, but Anouk has kept hush about the situation until now. For Anouk there's no better way to tell her story than through her music. The video shows Anouk with her three kids at home, trying to make the best of a new situation. 

The song perfectly captures that moment in time when you know a relationship has run its course and you're about to admit it to the other person. It's that moment when you know the world around you is about to crumble and will never be the same. "Will we ever learn to let it go (. . .) What do you say when it is all over," Anouk sings. It is an incredibly powerful track that sends chills up and down my spine. This is some serious rock 'n raw that is moving, heartfelt and straight from the gut. 

Watch the video on YouTube now.

Anouk Reveals New Album Cover

Popular Dutch TV show RTL Boulevard revealed yesterday the official cover art for Anouk's sixth studio album, "For Bitter Or Worse," which will be in stores late September. Looking bloody and bruised, it is certainly a daring shot like everything else we have come to expect from Anouk. When pictures of this photo shoot first surfaced last spring, rumours were floating around wildly that the rock diva had been in a fist fight. Now fans finally get to find out what the reason was for these (staged) photos.

In an interview with RTL, Anouk talks candidly about her label EMI that refuses to invest in the singer internationally. "I have tried for years to convince them to go international with my music," the singer says. "But they have absolutely no interest in that. They are probably happy with the success I have in The Netherlands and that is enough for them or maybe I'm just too old. (. . .) There's no point spending more energy on it. I'm gonna finish out my contract, make a few records and I'll see what happens after that."

EMI must be out of their minds. Very disappointing. I'm not sure why EMI execs do not see the opportunity of promoting such a rock giant across the Dutch borders. She has the voice, the looks and the guts to go places. Watch this to see what I mean.

(P.S. @robster16 makes an interesting observation and points out the symbolism of the "Anouk" logo as a crown of thorns.)