Artist: Norm Brunet
Album: ‘It Don’t Get Better Than This’
Recorded at: Shining Star Studios in Stittsville, Ontario, Canada; Production: Brunet, Dan Artuso and Victor Nesrallah
Possessing an intuitive ability to take everyday situations and channel them them into emotional songs is one of the most alluring characteristics of musicians. Ottawa-based singer-songwriter, Norm Brunet, is one such stunning musician who can attract and maintain a devoted audience by his engaging passion on a versatile range of topics. His raspy vocals and distinctive lyrics are backed by an eclectic mix of instrumentation, including the electric, steel and acoustic guitars, bass and keyboards, on his first full length album to be released in America, the 10-track country-Americana record, ‘It Don’t Get Better Than This.’ The Canadian singer’s latest songs are about authentic people and situations that for the most part, tell a story that the listener can truly relate to and understand.
‘It Don’t Get Better Than This’ beings with the entry, ‘Can’t Stop Thinking,’ which chronicles how some men act like they’re not obsessed with a woman, when in actuality, they secretly can’t stop thinking about them. Driven by a soulful guitar, Brunet croons that he acts like he no longer thinks about the woman he once loved, and he can’t remember much about her kiss and what he misses about her. Those proclamations showcase how people often try to act like they no longer care about someone, in order to protect themselves from what they’ll certain will be a rejection. However, the musician’s declaration that he actually can’t stop thinking about her, even though they’re now emotionally worlds apart, is a realistic and heart-wrenching chronicling of the challenges of moving on from losing a passionate love.
‘Can’t Stop Thinking’ is followed by the sophomore song on the album, which is titled ‘Pour Me Another One.’ Driven by an intense country guitar and enthralling vocals, the singer croons how he’s trying to overcome his relationship, as he needs to fill the void of no longer having the woman he loved in his life. While he previously pondered why their relationship didn’t work out, he’s now determined to get over her love.
‘Pour Me Another One’ is succeeded by the record’s heartfelt title track, which thrives on its shimmering guitars. Brunet was inspired to write the soft country tune, ‘It Don’t Get Better Than This,’ by a couple with two young children who visited him backstage and told him of their challenges of family life with the husband being continuously gone on work trips. Yet they find joy amidst those circumstances through their strong belief in their faith, family and friends.
Another noteworthy entry on ‘It Don’t Get Better Than This’ is its fifth song, the country-blues driven ‘Like Out of a Dream.’ Brunet sings wistfully about pet adoption and love at first site with his late beloved pit bull-boxer mix Cody, who was rescued from the Humane Society. Driven by a nostalgic violin, the musician croons that he’ll never forget when they first met, as he immediately felt right in their connection, which felt like it came from out of a dream.
The penultimate track on ‘It Don’t Get Better Than This’ is the sultry- Americana tune, ‘Out of the Blue,’ which Brunet wrote as encouragement for a female friend who who expressed doubt that she’ll be able to find true love. The inspirational message notes that people will never truly know when love will materialize, so no one should turn their back on love just because they haven’t found it yet.
The musician’s first full-length American album ends with the provocative entry, ‘Heartbreaker.’ He notes how the title woman’s look leaves men wondering how she entices them in and then brings them down, and tear their hearts apart. The song is a cautionary tale about people staying away from others who can easily manipulate them and break their hearts.
Maintaining an intuitive ability to take everyday situations and channel them them into relatable songs is one of the most refreshing characteristics of musicians. Brunet is one such brilliant singer-songwriter who can attract and retain a devoted audience by his engaging passion on a versatile range of topics. His raspy vocals and distinctive lyrics are backed by an eclectic mix of instrumentation on his first full length American album, ‘It Don’t Get Better Than This.’ The Canadian singer’s latest songs are about authentic people and situations that for the most part, tell a story that the listener can truly relate to and understand.
