And Toch… is his first solo album since 1992, but out of the sight of the general public Henny Vrienten worked steadily on an oeuvre that is as versatile as it is impressive. There were film soundtracks (Discovery Of Heaven, Kruimeltje), musicals and songs for Sesame Street where he succeeded Harry Bannink as chief songwriter. Still, pop songs continue to present themselves. Vrienten sings them
… with a calm, sometimes even whispering voice and they are beautifully colored by his band (with son Xander on bass). In his songs, Vrienten takes the listener to Tilburg, the city of his youth. There is an ode to his mother, to his first guitar and to Magreetje, the girl who 'could love everyone but when I came she didn't feel like it'. Yet Vrienten (66) has also forgotten a lot. If I had known I would forget everything, I would have looked around more closely ', he sings in De Namen En De Vragen, a song that is exemplary in both text and music for this quiet album. (PdK)more