With unique lyrics that balance between self-mockery and melancholy and drawing on all imaginable music styles, Flemish Raymond van het Groenewoud is one of the few who can give Dutch pop music a right to exist. In his old age he still proves to be good for a big riot. As a result of the unmistakable text of Weg Met Amerika, no fewer than twelve complaints about racism were filed against him. In
… the song he wipes the floor with quite a few Dutch hoppers when it comes to language virtuosity. On the other hand, Van het Groenewoud uses a similar 'one-liner' ('down with those peasants of America') in the chorus, which he says he so detests in his text. No, Van het Groenewoud is at his best when he is in a mild mood and less explicit, as in the subdued gem Ik Zou Lie If I Spoke The Truth, a song title that appeals to the imagination far more than his entire tirade against America. There are several examples of this on the album Mr. Raymond on which an old-fashioned inspired Van 't Groenewoud can be heard. (MS)more