Having roots rock artists coming from all over the world is not an uncommon thing these days. The problem quite a few of these artists usually have is the deep understanding of the musical sources they are using. 

Yet, when they do reach that understanding, they can come up with some outstanding music. When they do so, it is often because they don’t stick strictly to the cannons of folk, country or rock, but mix those elements freely, adding touches of pop or their native background to the mix to come up with something truly interesting. 

That is exactly what Ad Vanderveen, native of Amsterdam, Netherlands has been doing for the last 15 years of his career–something he truly confirms on ‘Candle to You,’ his latest album release. 

Sure, Vanderveen takes cues from such greats as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but obviously feels no genre restrictions when he’s making his music, drifting freely between country, folk and rock like on obviously Dylan-inspired “Last Venture.” 

But there is another great characteristic Vanderveen shares with the above two greats and the likes of what some would consider as true roots artists like Townes Van Zandt – Vanderveen is a great storyteller. And, of course, incorporating great lyrics into good music is an art in itself, and Vanderveen shows that he has real capabilities to do so. 

Add to all this the way in which Vanderveen composed most of the album. As he explains himself, “While some songs are typically acoustic guitar based, a lot of this album was written on the mandola – the mandolin’s older sister. The singer further explains, ”Exploring this instrument led to new horizons and different harmonic settings that seem to emphasize the spaciousness and fluidity in my music.” 

What we get in Candle to You is an excellent roots rock album that defies both time and place in which it was recorded. 

By Ljubinko Zivkovic, Rock At Night

Ad Vanderveen’s Soothing Style Shines on Candle to You

There’s something to be said for artists that can capture listeners and bring them into their world in just a few short measures. And that’s exactly what Ad Vanderveen pulls off with the opening track of his new record, Do What You Love. And it’s clear that Vanderveen does just that.

For love or money is a recurring theme of the human condition. Meanwhile, Ad Vanderveen addresses that enduring question on the opening track of his new record. And with soothing acoustics, harmonica, and Vanderveen’s lyrical refrain of “Do what you love, and you’ll be taken care of”, there are some poignant life lessons to be garnered from his music.

Ad Vanderveen Lays it All Out

Following The Wind takes a considerably darker turn than the album opener – and it’s a brilliant showcase of Vanderveen’s different styles. Minor chords change the mood from philosophical and wise to brooding and a bit more melancholy. And through it all, it’s clear that Ad Vanderveen simply has an ear for what sounds good – complete with a lengthy solo midway through.

Meanwhile, Over Time picks up the tempo and packs the flavor – with Latin/Flamenco influences permeating the primary melody. Only a few tracks into Candle to You, it’s apparent that Ad Vanderveen can pull off any style he chooses – and his musical range is refreshing to listen to.

Candle to You Puts Everything on Display

Even if this style of Contemporary Folk isn’t necessarily something you would listen to – or even come back to – there’s enough on Candle to You to keep even skeptical listeners coming back for more. Meanwhile, one of the things Ad Vanderveen does well is balance all of his influences in a way that’s cohesive.

At times, he slows it down, like on the title track, Candle To You. And other times, he picks up the tempo – or switches up the style altogether. And the beauty of Ad Vanderveen’s artistry is it never feels like he is out of his depth musically. No matter what influences he incorporates, Vanderveen is firmly at the helm. And that is the true genius of this record.

By Spencer Elliott, Screen Legion, US

Wat een geweldige muzikant is de 65-jarige Nederlandse singer-songwriter Ad Vanderveen toch. Al van in de beginjaren ’90 brengt hij als soloartiest zijn folk-, roots- en Americana-composities op een manier die eigenlijk nog altijd ongezien is in onze contreien. We waren intussen de tel een beetje kwijtgeraakt over het aantal albums die Ad tijdens zijn carrière heeft opgenomen en uitgebracht. Zelfs het aantal platen van hem die hier bij ‘Rootstime’ telkens weer op een lovende recensie konden rekenen weten we niet meer exact.

Ad Vanderveen heeft in de loop van zijn carrière ook met een reeks andere artiesten samengewerkt, zowel in zijn groep ‘The O’Neils’ als met o.a. Al Kooper, Al Perkins, Herman Brood, Flaco Jimenez, Eric Andersen, Eliza Gilkyson, de begin 2020 plots overleden David Olney en de nu 75-jarige Britse singer-songwriter Iain Matthews. De meeste van zijn soloalbums werden samen opgenomen met zijn levenspartner Kersten de Ligny als backing en/of harmony vocaliste en de verhalen die hij in zijn nummers blijft vertellen zijn boeiend, divers en verrassend. Dat is nu alweer niet anders op zijn meest recente release “Candle To You” die we hier onder de loep mogen nemen en zo aan u mogen voorstellen.

Op die nieuwe plaat brengt Ad Vanderveen tien nieuwe eigen composities die tot stand zijn gekomen in volle coronapandemietijd na het uitbrengen van zijn laatste album “Release” uit 2021. Bij de beluistering kunnen we ook deze keer niet voorbijgaan aan de treffende gelijkenissen tussen zijn werk en de verhalende folksongs die mensen als Neil Young of Bob Dylan sinds meerdere decennia op hun platen brengen. Ook zijn uitmuntende akoestische gitaarspel valt weer op en hij speelt op enkele songs eveneens op mondharmonica en mandola.

Kersten de Ligny zorgt weer voor subtiele maar wondermooie harmony vocals, terwijl het overige instrumentale werk wordt afgeleverd door Jan Erik Hoeve op pedal steelgitaar, Neil James Morrison op viool, Simon Moore op keyboards en de ritmesectie met Pete Fisher op basgitaar en Michael Kay achter het drumstel. Singer-songwriter Philip Kroonenberg uit Den Haag zingt als gastvocalist mee op het nummer “Over Time”. Op de video’s kunt u meegenieten van twee songs uit deze nieuwe cd van Ad Vanderveen. Eerst is er de albumtiteltrack en liefdesliedje “Candle To You”, door Ad zelf gezien als een muzikaal eerbetoon aan zijn twee net vermelde voorbeelden uit de sixties Neil Young en Bob Dylan. Daarna horen we op de tweede video ook nog het erg mooie liedje “Miss That World”.

In de openingstrack “Do What You Love” maant Ad Vanderveen ons allemaal aan om in ons leven vooral dat te doen wat we graag willen doen en geen kansen aan ons voorbij te laten gaan. “Following The Wind”, “Miss That World” en slotsong “Air Guitar” zijn ‘vintage’-Neil Young ballads en in “Over Time” wordt de instrumentale begeleiding vooral ingekleurd door vioolklanken. Bij het nummer “Last Venture” haalt hij het mondharmonica boven terwijl hij zichzelf op akoestische gitaar begeleidt bij deze folkballad. In “All The Way Thing” wordt die prominente rol overgenomen door de pedal steelgitaar van Jan Erik Hoeve en voor “Window In The Rain” wordt daarbovenop ook nog de mandola bovengehaald. Ad Vanderveen is de ‘Neil Young van de Lage Landen’ en hij verdient het eigenlijk om dat ook in de rest van Europa te zijn want zijn liedjes op dit 31e soloalbum “Candle To You” klinken eigenlijk veel mooier dan de songs die de Canadese troubadour dezer dagen op zijn platen brengt.

Valsam – Rootstime, BE

Nome consolidato sulla scena roots europea, l’olandese Ad Vanderveen vanta una discografia notevole (una ventina le pubblicazioni a partire dalla fine degli anni Novanta) e una prolificità che non si smentisce neppure con questo Candle to You, disco che segue di solo un anno il già apprezzato Release. È capitato qualche volta di incrociare la sua carriera anche sulle pagine del nostro web magazine, anche se da qualche tempo ne avevamo perso le tracce. Lo ritroviamo sempre fedele al suo stile, quello che lo ha fatto accostare all’Americana e al folk rock d’autore, un suono che gli è valso anche numerose collaborazioni con colleghi d’oltreoceano come John Gorka (un duetto era presente nell’album Denver Nevada del 2018), Eliza Gilkyson, lo scomparso David Olney, senza dimenticare che persino Van Morrison lo aveva scelto come artista di apertura nel suo tour olandese di qualche anno fa. 

Insomma, Vanderveen ha basi solide, una scrittura musicale morbida ed elettro-acustica che richiama la West Coast, il country rock dei 70s e tutta quella generazione di songwriter che in quegli anni ha raccontato i sogni, gli amori, le illusioni di una generazione. Non a caso Candle to You, album e canzone omonima, sono visti dallo stesso Vanderveen come un omaggio esplicito ai suoi due principali eroi musicali, Bob Dylan e Neil Young. Del primo ci sono tracce meno evidenti, ma resta un’impronta, magari quella più tradizionalista di Nashville Skyline e New Morning, mentre direi senza tema di smentite che il secondo rappresenti la vera stella polare del nostro Ad Vanderveen, fin quasi alla maniacale riproduzione di certe dinamiche sonore. Basta ascoltareFollowing the Wind, Last Venture, Miss that World, la dolcezza degli impasti creati da armonica, pedal steel (Jan Erik Hoeve) e chitarra acustica (ma anche mandola, strumento che spesso Ad utilizza per la composizione) per accorgersi dell’amore e del rispetto verso il loner canadese. 

D’altronde, saranno le stesse origini di Vanderveen – in parte di famiglia canadese, anche se nato a Hilversum, Paesi Bassi – a far crescere questo affetto, ma è fuori discussione che Candle to Yousi muova su quella linea ideale che va da Harvest a Prairie Wind passando per Comes a Time, per intenderci il Neil Young più intimo e dai toni elegiaci. È senza dubbio il limite di un disco che comunque risulta suonato e prodotto con classe, senza mai eccedere (le più elettriche sono Over Time e il finale che più “younghiano” non si può di Air Guitar, ode ai propri sogni di rock’n’roll) e con quella voglia di scrivere di amore e sentimenti, sempre tra il personale e l’universale, che distingue il lavoro del “buon songwriter”. Qualche volta più folkeggiante e solitario (pregevole Window in the Rain, delicato l’avvio di Do What You Love), altre spalleggiato dalla band, che prevede anche il morbido intervento degli archi di Neil James Morrison (viola e violino), Ad Vanderveen non si allontana mai dalla sua missione.

Davidi Albini – Roots Highway, IT

NO NUKES – GET WISE

Back in the seventies there was a very present and active movement against nuclear energy that now seems to be harder to find. To me this topic has always remained at the top of the list of motivations behind any voting. 

These days, in our ever energy-hungry world looking for new supplies and resources, it seems to become more and more normal that nuclear energy would be back on the table as an option.

Putting more long-term destructive poison in the world that remains active for thousands of generations?

To me that’s unacceptable.

Nobody should even think of making many future generations pay the price for the mess we made. It’s not a solution, not viable, totally immoral, and short-sighted. 

This is why I support WISE, an organisation specialised in informing the world on responsible sources of energy. They have reliable rersearch and facts lined up to be consulted by us and our leaders. 

So we are releasing a song ‘GET WISE’ to hopefully point a few people in that direction, check it out and spread the word, AV.

WWW.WISEINTERNATIONAL.ORG