I have a new favourite web site – ClipTop40.nl, where you can watch in full all of the videos in the Dutch top 40 and many of the artists’ past videos too! It’s rare to find so many good quality current videos in one place on the Internet, so I thought I’d make use of the site and review their current top 10 videos:
1. Ali B – Leipe Mocro Flavour
This guy appears to be the Dutch Kenzie. He also looks a bit like It’s typical European rap ie. sounds like American rap from 5 years ago (perhaps early Eminem) without even less comprehensible lyrics. It is quite bouncy though. The video concept appears to be dropping Ali and friends in the middle of a children’s TV show and hoping for the best! 4/10
2. Artiesten Voor Azië – Als Je iets Kan Doen
This is the Dutch answer to Band Aid, raising money for the tsunami victims. I presume the title means All That We (or I?) Can Do. It’s just a ballad sung in Dutch (obviously) with the now obligatory ‘urban bit’ near the end. The most exciting bit is when Sita is on. She is extremely ace, but doesn’t get to sing anything on her own. Boo! It’s also quite amazing that they managed to get all these people on stage at once – they’d never manage it with UK artists, all the big ones are too busy trying to break America all the time. 5/10
3. Joy Gruttman – Schnappi
This is not a song about the drink but in fact a crocodile called Schnappi – Snappy in English. It’s the current craze that’s sweeping Europe, starting in Germany and now most countries have several versions in their charts, as is customary with these novelty hits these days. It is basically a little girl singing about Snappy the little crocodile and it is sweet for the first listen but soon gets very annoying. The video is, unsurprisingly, a cartoon and a very basic one at that. I hope this doesn’t come to the British charts next. 3/10
4. Anouk – Girl
Now this is why the Dutch are ace! Anouk is one of my favourite Dutch popstars (alongside Sita, Elize, Within Temptation…) and this may well be her best song yet. It’s certainly her poppiest. She’s usually the queen of angst, scaring all men in sight, and this is just as feisty as ever but you can sort of dance to it too (or at least bounce on your seat). The video is a little out of sync which is a shame but you can still see how brilliantly ace it is. How does someone so pretty and girly looking have such a strong deep voice? It’s quite weird. Keep watching the video cos there’s some great dancing near the end that’s like evil version of Can’t Get You Out Of My Head. 9/10
5. J-Lo – Get Right
You all know this one.
6. Douwe Egberts – Ik ben je bitch niet
This appears to be an advert so we will ignore it too.
7. Elize – Automatic
This is quite possibly the best pop single of the year so far. If it’s not the biggest dance hit of the year I shall be not only shocked but horrified – it deserves nothing less. If Call On Me can get to no.1 for 7 weeks or however ridicuously long it was, then this should be no.1 for at least a year. It’s a good video in that Elize looks good and it fits the song, but I would have preferred it to be more of a girls going out having fun video than this almost desperately sexy one. This should be a song for girls (and boys) to dance their socks off to, not just for pervy men to ogle. It’s just too good to fall to that level. 10/10
8. Raffish – Plaything
This band should be the Dutch answer to Girls Aloud since they were the product of their Popstars The Rivals, and although they’re nowhere near the dizzy hights of No Good Advice, this is a pretty good effort. They’re all fairly stylish and good-looking (although one does look a little like Keisha Sugababe from some angles) and the song is catchy r’n’b pop – it’s not amazing but it’s definitely a grower. The video looks amusing like Hear’say’s for Pure & Simple. It’s nothing groundbreaking but better than most of the reality show winners’ singles these days. 7/10
9. Eminem – Toy Soldiers
Boring! (except the Martika bit)
10. Linkin Park – Numb/Encore ft. Jay-Z
Boring!