ALBUM REVIEW: NORINE BRAUN UNVEILS HER WONDROUS NEW LP ‘JOURNEY TOWARDS WHOLENESS’
Norine Braun is a singer-songwriter from Vancouver who has spent the last thirty years developing a progressive angle in which to call her own. She has crafted this incredibly affecting aesthetic with a delicate and humble approach to the country-folk sound, further enhanced by her own captivating vocals on every release so far. And with the spells of creativity beginning to emerge once again, she makes a triumphant comeback with her much-anticipated new album ‘Journey Towards Wholeness’, a record brimming with passion and vigour throughout.
Following the compelling yet alluring path she has already trodden so well, her most recent project keeps this fascinating finesse of hers alive throughout. Delightfully sophisticated, ‘Journey Towards Wholeness’ is a true highlight of her illustrious tenure to date, brimming with a soulful rhythm that we could get lost in for days. She skilfully and stylishly delivers these wonderfully sprawling moments that add to the vibrant nature of this release, adding her own distinctive flair to its galloping twelve-track runtime.
Despite all that has come before, ‘Journey Towards Wholeness’ still remains a wildly innovative return from Norine Braun. Keeping those adventurous spirits burning for so long is never an easy feat, but she manages it with drive and aplomb throughout. - Lockmag
The new album from Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Norine Braun, Journey Toward Wholeness consumes in its dynamic sound and personal lyricism, driven by Braun’s experiences as an adoptee. A diverse tonal assortment shows, from the bluesy rock suaveness of “Quicksand” to the soulful grooves within “Quest Before Me” and the southern-touched folk nostalgia on “Breathe In Deep.” While Braun’s previous album Song For Trees reflected her dedication to climate change, Journey Toward Wholeness digs into a more personal outlook, emphasizing Braun’s exploration of her Red River Metis heritage and resulting newfound sense of self and belonging.
“Adoption” captures this theme aptly in the opening lines, asking “whose eyes do I have?” in reference to a drive for self-discovery. “I searched for who and what I am, where my roots in history land. These are questions that I find, who and what was left behind?” Braun sings, moving beautifully alongside suave guitar lines and balmy organs. The preceding “Quest Before Me” references the hero’s journey, gorgeously highlighting the power of discovering our true selves.
The more folk-set introspection of “Ascending Lullaby” serves as a dedication to Braun’s late mother, celebrating the “fly higher now, you’re ascending,” hopefulness when one passes on, while also highlighting her mother’s perseverance and undying love. Journey Toward Wholeness is a moving, audible expression of self-discovery and inner-confidence, set alongside a consistently commanding array of songwriting and melodic vocals. Journey Toward Wholeness represents the 14th album for the prolific artist. Mike Mineo Obscure Sound
Inviting listeners to join her on a transformative musical voyage, Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Norine Braun crafts an intimate and soul-stirring musical experience on her new album ‘Journey Toward Wholeness’. As her fourteenth record to date, the ridiculously prolific artist is no stranger to exploring the depths of human emotion, but this album may be her most profoundly introspective yet.
Exploring her journey as an adoptee, the loss of her adoptive mother, and her recent connection with her birth father, ‘Journey Toward Wholeness’ captures the very essence of Norine’s personal and artistic growth.
We begin with the beautifully graceful ‘Bring It On’ before the record’s first single ‘Quest Before Me’ steps up to the plate. An ethereal and dreamy tune about opening ourselves to our true selves, it perfectly encapsulates the album’s theme of personal transformation.
‘Adoption’ brings a soulful and rocky presence to the fore while ‘Abandon’ takes us back down to the more delicate sounds of earlier.
Other favourites from the record include ‘Hunting Buffalo’, ‘Ascending Lullaby’, and the album’s incredible closer ‘All My Relations’. The truth is, however, each track radiates with individual charm and emotion. A stellar offering from a hugely gifted musician. Serious album alert! Jeremy Bregman Mesmerized
Norine Braun is a singer-songwriter and contemporary pop artist from Vancouver. Her style mingles the vintage ethos of ballads with a cool pop freshness that you cannot get enough of. There’s also a lot of blues, jazz and soul elements that go into elevating her performative essence and vocal style. Everytime you listen to her music, you’ll find yourself transported to a musical. There’s that glamor, embellishment of sentiment and a whole lot of romanticism. The artist has been leading up to debut her album, one single at a time.
‘Adoption’ is the latest single from the upcoming album It is wired with acoustic guitar grooves, building it with stick clicks, a wash of cymbal, and light vocals. The more you listen to it, the more it feels airy and soft. However, this does not take away from the evocative quotients of the track. In a passionate spell, we see Norine’s vocals rise into delicate and well-held falsettos. And the modernity of her vision calls for instant love. Her ideas and concepts are pretty great which she also executes with sophisticated eloquence. Listen Now! Good Music Radar
This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada and with great appreciation for the support of FACTOR, Canada Council For the Arts and First Peoples' Cultural Council for helping support this album.
Thanks to Stuart Derdeyn for featuring Songs For Trees in The Vancouver Sun and The Province as one of 5 albums you need to hear! Thanks for your love and voting for The Burning, that song charted for 6 weeks going from #40 to #10 on SiriusXM's Indigenous Music Countdown! CFBX Top 50 Albums for Summer 2022
"Like the roots of trees, each song is interconnected; you can't have one without the others. Each song is beautifully tied together to create a music forest with a very important message." A.A. Christi NYC Broadway World
"Compared to artists like Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, and kd Lang, Norine Braun’s soundscape will transport you to a world outside of your own. This call to action on climate change mixed with the beauty of music is something you do not want to miss." - Amplify Music Magazine
"Inspired by climate change and our beautiful Earth, this groovy and funk based album features 19 songs. Between each full length song are the sounds of nature, like the crunching of leaves and sticks, a rushing river, and wind, connecting the songs like the roots of a tree. It’s a network of songs that act as one big motion of music" Indie-Music
Norine Braun's New Album Is Full Of Spirit And Reflection
"The conceptual album is all beyond brilliant. She manages to visualize the forest and trees, personifying them in a way that's thought provoking and honest. What stands out to me about this album is the ambient noise bridging the full length songs. This simple, yet powerful choice elevates the album to a place no other has gone.
She wrote each song dedicated to a certain tree, like Aspens in "Aspen Grove" and the coastal Douglas Fir in "Sex in the Forest." While each song examines a different tree, it's a symbolic walk through the spiritual aspects of trees and their images of strength. They are big, they are rooted, and they serve as a home to many.
"Songs For Trees" is unlike any other album I've ever heard. It's beautiful and genius. It really has you thinking about nature and how we are one with it. The jazz, synthetic pop, and folk singer/songwriter sounds gives it a sense of groove, evoking the feelings of walking through a forest."Taylor Williams Subba-Cultcha
"NORINE BRAUN’S NEW ALBUM IS AN ARTISTIC MASTERPIECE Her voice is soft and hypnotic. The music is smooth and groovy. Her lyrics are poetic and thought provoking. Everything you want in an album is what you’ll find in Songs For Trees." Jane Lambert Modern Mystery
"The 19 song masterpiece is groovy and funky. She uses sounds of nature in between the actual songs to act as story guides leading the listener into the next narrative told through a certain tree. The trees symbolize how similar we are to them and how much we need trees for our own survival.Songs for Trees is beautifully written, recorded, and produced. It speaks volumes on our Earth as well as our empathy. She guides the listener through in a caring and loving way rather than a demanding one. " Independent Artist Buzz
WINNER BLUES COMPILATION ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2022 **WINNER** JANUARY 9, 2023 SEVERN FM DR WART HOOVER DOCS BLUES AWARDS 2022 COMPILATION OF THE YEAR WINNER GLOUCESTER UK NORINE BRAUN - COLLECTED WORKS HER SIGNATURE FUNKY FOLK BLUES SOUND SIMPLY CANNOT BE MATCHED, BEST LISTENED TO AS LOUD AS YOUR NEIGHBOURS WILL TOLERATE. Kind of Blues album was also #2 on TRIPLE AAA most downloaded to international radio and promotions on Plaympe January 6, 2023!
DECEMBER FALLS REVIEWS
"Is that actually Christmas around the corner?!? With new COVID restrictions every week making the holiday season less and less conducive to gatherings, it's hard to imagine what the day will look like this year. But the Christmas spirit is indomitable. In one way or another, with stacks of deliveries and zoom call gatherings, we will celebrate like we always have. Christmas is this amazing yardstick of how life has changed and yet our little idiosyncratic traditions remain. Music has and will always be at the core of that.
Vancouver-based blues-rock singer Norine Braun has cooked up a Christmas album during her time in quarantine that offers up several swingin' new holiday-tinged tracks and peppers in her rowdy take on some old chestnuts. The veteran songstress' new tracks frame the season in a new way, shirking the traditional style much in the way rock n roll originally came in and rebranded the idea of Christmas by the likes of Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley. December Falls encapsulates the whole period of transition that comes with the new year, not just the day itself. God knows we're all ready for a transition!
The first track out of the gate 'Solstice (The Day the Sun Stands Still)' waxes about frosting landscapes and cozy rituals over jazz fusion chord changes. Smooth saxophone and a fluttering flute texturize Braun's ode to the shortest day of the year. Braun's Metis ancestry brings a holistic theme to the track appreciating nature's cycles and rejoicing in the coldest season of the year. Like stepping into a warm lodge and downing a couple of rum toddies, the album quickly takes on a tropical feel with Braun's Caribbean take on 'I Saw Three Ships'. Steel drums and half time drums put everyone at ease, ready for a sunny and loose Christmas party.
A whirling organ and trembling guitar score 'Mistletoe Blues'. Snappy slap guitar shoots back and forth with a snarling harmonica. Braun kneads and bends notes putting some funk and feel into the season. 'The Winter After Elvis Died' uses the King's death as a touchstone to echo back to the weird, wild circumstances of Braun's youth when she fell terribly ill. The lyrics are expertly woven with rhymes snaking around and whipping back again. A Clarence Clemons-style sax solo full of bravado and big soul carries out this Broadway-ready tune to the end. Roadhouse blues-rock tells the tale of the notorious 'Poinsettia Pearl', a barroom swinger.
Braun performs classics like 'Blue Christmas', 'O Christmas Tree/Oh Tannenbaum', Silent Night, and newer classic Wham's 'Last Christmas' with her same saucy flare. The title track opens with her a Capella singing to a windy gust, sinking smoothly into a textural, moody rock number with Johnny Marr guitars. Wistful without being too dour. 'Put a Wreath on it Blues' puts that Chicago swing on classic Christmas tropes. Braun's voice verges on a grind to match the railway harmonica.
Braun admirably performs enough Christmas standards to qualify it as a full-fledged Christmas album but the high points of the album are her original tracks. The new takes on the season not only give us new material for the holiday but reinvigorates the genre like songs like 'Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' or 'Christmas All Over Again' do. This is an irregular Christmas, infuse it with some ballsy, bluesy rock n roll." 4 Stars Jon C. Ireson Music-News
There’s such a lovely retro feel to this gorgeous, wintery Christmas album from Canadian artist Norine Braun. I reviewed her album “Through Train Windows” last year, which I loved. She has a beautiful, sultry, soulful voice - bluesy, hopeful and warm. So whatever she sings sounds wonderful, if I’m honest.
This is a brilliant collection of songs, Christmas classics, carols and plenty of really excellent originals too. In fact, my favorite Christmas song is even here, the much forgotten “I Saw Three Ships.” It reminds me so much of Christmas as a kid in England. "Silent Night" as well, all done in Norine’s own inimitable style - soulful, gentle, authentic. Nothing spangly or fake, over done or commercial. Just a great collection of music that would work in any setting…party, dinner, quiet evening with the family, Christmas morning as we tear open the presents!
Norine has a real KD Lang quality to her voice, with a little bit of Tracy Thorn from Everything But The Girl. There’s a distinct 80s vibe to this collections, it’s the song choice and also the gorgeous open production, the saxophone, the percussion, the unabashed joy and excellent musicians. Honestly, this is such a great album! I absolutely love it!!! And any time you can listen to “Last Christmas” is a very good day if you ask me and Norine's arrangement is sublime!! Favorite song…”Solstice,” but I also love “I Saw Three Ships” of course! Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros North Hollywood Arts District
Hailing from Vancouver BC Canada, Norine Braun is a longtime artist who has won multiple awards, played in numerous festivals, and performed across various theaters, venues, and even at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. For this upcoming holiday season, Braun is bringing back the old spirit of Christmas with her record December Falls. Featuring original and traditional songs, it’s an album that brings back the celebratory spirit of the holidays letting us savor the old norm in a year filled with chaos
“Winter is upon us now” declares Braun in the opener “Solstice.” It’s a broodily uplifting song that radiates the comforting hope of wrapping up another year while spending the long dark hours of the night reflecting. Braun takes a more upbeat approach in covering the British classic Xmas song “I Saw Three Ships.” In “Mistletoe Blues,” Braun’s croons bloom over the laidback melody that stretches with seasonal melancholia. The following piece, “The Winter After Elvis Died,” is an original hymn co-written by Braun that brings back 70s pop infused with jazzy elements where the sax evokes the spirit of Clarence Clemons.
“Pointsettia Pearl” is a bluesy rock song with stomping riffs as she waltzes around the decorative origins of the Poinsettia during the holiday season. It’s chic and edgy at the same time. Braun brings back the King again with her cover of 1964 song “Blue Christmas,” where her vocals soar over the country soundscape. The title track of the record “December Falls” is a blend of rock and pop filled with an undeniable sense of longing. The following ballad “Put A Wreath On It” is another original and has the raw, edgy tints of Americana on it where the harmonica interludes add a Spaghetti West vibe to it.
Braun kicks off “O Christmas Tree” with shimmering jingles and electric guitars, yielding a foot-stomping melody that feels perfect for a holiday march anthem. She gives us a bluesier version of the classic “Last Christmas,” where her silvery vocals flourish over the playful chords. “Christmas Bells” is a jazzy carol where the saxophone interludes give an eccentric twist to the son to be classic hit. The final piece “Silent Night” is not what you’ll expect – instead of taking a serene approach, Braun brings an upbeat flair to it with glistening guitar chords that add an unexpected zestful oomph. December Falls is an unconventional holiday album that brings a fresh take on the classic while also giving us new ballads to add to our Christmas playlist.December Falls will be out on December 4 - Aupium Reviews
December Falls has some of Vancouver’s finest musicians on board including: Adam Popowitz returning as producer and playing bass and lead guitar on the album. Elliot Polsky is on percussion and drums, Alice Fraser is on keys and harmony vocals. Huggybear Leonard on blues harp and penny whistle, Toby Peter spoken word, Brent Mah features on tenor sax and Norine plays rhythm guitar and vocals. Mixed and mastered at Rear Window Song and Sound. Thanks to a songwriting #showcasebc grant from CreativeBC that Norine received in response to the COVID pandemic, Norine authored 4 of her 7 original songs that appear in this new album written while in provincial lock down. Thanks for supporting independent artist!