Jim van der Zee is just a few days shy of his 26th birthday, but his career is off to a great start.
In 2018, the Dutch singer-songwriter was the winning contestant on The Voice of Holland, and with the record deal he won from that competition, he released his debut album, Where I Come From.
Where I Come From is a cover album, featuring ten songs by van der Zee’s musical heroes, including a wonderful cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Highway 29.”
Not only are van der Zee’s vocals terrific (we’d expect as much given his performance on The Voice), but the arrangement is superb as well. “Highway 29” is a quiet, contemplative song; van der Zee preserves its spirit while adorning it with restrained orchestration that never overpowers the lyrics.
But as is so often the case with the original artist, it’s when van der Zee performs the song in concert that he truly captivates. In this 2019 performance, Jim is accompanied only by piano and his own guitar, and it’s even better than his studio version.
In 2019, van der Zee released his first album containing his original songs–you can check them out at his web site here.
Oh and as for that competition-winning performance that won Jim his record deal and set his career in motion–if you’re wondering how he clinched the title, watch his winning performance below.
