Dutch singer Dennis Van Aarssen won the ninth season of The Voice of Holland in 2019. His audition for the show as a spritely delivered, “That’s Life,” which he followed with “The Lady Is A Tramp” in the Battle Round. Van Aarssen’s selection in The Knockouts was “Mr. Bojangles.” In the Live Shows portion of the program, Van Aarssen performed Michael Bublé’s “Lost,” followed by Anouk’s (who was also one of the judges) “Modern World.” The singer’s semi-final selection was “New York, New York" and the Final Round duet song (with composer James Morrison) was “You Give Me Something.” All of this to establish his front-end bona fides.
Van Aarssen, with pianist and musical partner Jeff Franzel, is releasing his fourth studio recording, Just Call It Love. It is the pair’s first non-big band recording after Forever You (Self Released, 2018), How To Live (Self Released, 2021), and Christmas When You’re Here (Self Released, 2022). Opting for the more intimate voice-piano pairing, Van Aarssen and Franzel composed 11 original songs. These songs reflect maturity evidenced by greater emotional depth seamlessly expressed by the confident Van Aarssen, who can sing with the sweetness of John Proulx while singing powerfully at full volume.
The selections range from the gentle ache of the title tune supported by a restrained piano trio to the robust blues of “Me And The Guy At The Piano.” “She” quietly assimilates Tin Pan Alley with the Beatles, ascending into an anthemic middle section that disintegrates into the reflective opening. “Till I Drop” smacks of a Sinatra saloon song taken over the top. This is the rocking center of the recording. Franzel provides a spanking good solo to complement Van Aarssen’s solid confidence.
Just Call It Love displays Van Aarssen’s impressive vocal chops with songs requiring different moods and vocal shading. Whether at half speed or full, loud or in a whisper, Van Aarssen reveals a voice made for singing and singing very well. There is no mystery here, only well-imagined songs sung with the same wide-open receptiveness and good humor.