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Norma Jean Martine has one of those voices that sounds like escape. The 21-year-old singer is originally from Middletown, about an hour outside the borders of New York City, but moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University. Listening to the singer’s music, it’s clear she soaked up some of the blues history that inhabits that town, but Martine wanted to work with English musicians and moved to London at 20 to pursue that sound.
Currently based in London, she seems to have almost picked up the hint of a British accent since crossing the pond. There’s a warm, huskiness underlying her crystalline voice and she’s been eliciting interest from myriad labels and industry types. Her first single “No Gold” will be released on October 14 by the UK label Super!—the same ones who’ve handled releases from Bondax and AlunaGeorge. Starting with big-throated coos, Martine “oohs” and “ahhs” her way right into a climactic pop story-song about leaving a small town behind with nothing to her name.
But aside from the strength of this piano-driving song, it’s another one that even more clearly displays Martine’s potential. “Mexico” was only uploaded to the internet six days ago, and it follows along the same lines as “No Gold”—a desire for freedom and liberation, but instead of leaving her love behind, this track envisions the pair running away together. It’s the ideal summer song, a yearning for the warm, sandy shores of Mexico with just enough pop to keep things light and just enough heart to make it matter.
She’s been supporting the broken-hearted crooner Tom Odell on tour, just appeared at the Montreaux Jazz Festival and has plenty more promising demos on her Soundcloud page. The comparisons to Adele are impossible to ignore, but she’s got more hope than that, there’s more light at the end of the tunnel here. She’s got the spunk of Kate Nash but plays a little closer to the good girl side than that. Martine caresses each note and sings every line with passion, she makes escape from reality feel like an actual possibility.
