Norine Braun: Welcome
Music is timeless- whether in how long a song can last in the popular conscious- or in when a musician’s career he or she is inspired to write or record that song to begin with. In Norine Braun’s (case), where the latter is concerned, she concedes “I was a late bloomer...I always wrote songs, but it was in my bedroom with my tape recorder, for myself. In terms of my going into a studio, putting money behind it and trying to grow, that wasn't until my early '30s...I had a lot of people saying to me 'Are you kidding? It's too late! Most people your age are hanging up your instrument.' I didn't listen. I have to do what I have to do.”
Perhaps making up for lost time, Braun’s impressive and prolific catalog of six studio albums recorded/released over the past few years includes ‘Evolution of the Blood Star,’ ‘Now and Zen,’ ‘Norine Braun and the Mood Swings,’ ‘Crow,’ ‘Miles to Go,’ and ‘Modern Anguish.’ Braun’s pool of musical influences, according to Progressiveworld.net, is “all over the musical map, stretching...her vocals into pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz, spoken-word, blues...you name it, she's got it covered.” Citing derivative influences that include Sade, Bjork, Blondie, kd lang, Patti Smith and Norah Jones, Braun’s musical bedrock is steeped in soul, with jazz, ambient pop and rock & roll laid overtop in a sound that Indie-Music.com has observed “has great depth, versatility, and provides a fresh alternative to pretty much anything you could get your hands on in the mainstream progressive rock world.”
The recipient of awards including the prestigious ‘Female Singer-Songwriter of the Year’ in the Jazz Category at the Independent L.A. Music Awards (2006), Braun, even as a newcomer, has dazzled her critics as “a rare find,” according to The Best Female Musicians Magazine. Ink19 Magazine, meanwhile, has observed that while “people throw the word eclectic around a lot these days...pop vocalist Norine Braun...earns that label.” While critical praise continues to roll in, looking to the future, what Braun feels most excited and energized by her new album, with the singer revealing that “Acoustically Inclined is my current recording project and 7th album to be released later this year, This album is acoustic and naked, showcasing my live solo singer-songwriter performances. My intention is to capture the essence of the song in its purest form, vocal and guitar which is my usual modus operandi. Following this album I would love to do a rich and textured down-tempo chill album. I am also researching a BC First Nation’s woman, Kocomnepeca, and hope to create an album themed around her life story. There is so much more I have yet to express, and if the creator is willing I shall proceed via this wonderful gift called music.” Keep up with Norine’s goings-on online here at www.norinebraun.com
-Jake Brown
Compelling Crystallize Captures Coastal Character
Vancouver, BC Canada November 2007-- Building energy behind her award winning single, Crystallize, Norine Braun premieres her new music video on nations music station's muchmoremusic channel. The video showcases First Nation west coast art styled animation by RUN!RUN!RUN! a motion graphics animation company from Toronto. Directed and designed by Davide Di Saro', this uniquely styled animation is applied graphically using all original hand drawings and then rendered digitally which creates an intriguing kaleidoscope.
Vibrant visuals display a dynamic story of a crow and it’s numinous relation to the singer-songwriter. The animated crows and other spiritual animal totems glide and dance with magical colour and psychedelic patterns captivating the viewer from start to finish. The playful video’s mystical quality reveals the interconnectedness of all things in keeping with the narrative of the song.
Crystallize is included on Norine’s latest multi-genre album Evolution of the Blood Star and is receiving much praise; Braun was chosen from a sea of artists to win the esteemed award Female Singer-Songwriter of The Year in the Jazz category at the LA Music Awards last November (2006). Her song 'Crystallize' boasted the honors; it is optimistic and heartfelt; you will be swept up in the dreamlike nature of Braun's voice, pure to the ear. Sheila Hash, of High Four Records, reacts to the song and says, "From the minute Norine began singing I knew I would love this song. I literally got the urge to break out into song and dance, definitely a voice that could turn around even the worst mood." 
