I don't normalize in BB but I probably have the "Normalize Tracks" turned on by default. Generally if the track is well recorded, normalizing it in not required.

After I have mixed and exported my track, I always open it in a Wave Editor and trim the silence from the start and end and.... I will run the normalize function on it at this point. The amount of normalization used varies depending on the level of the file. The goal is to not need to use normalize but I have no problems with using it.

If you have an anemic looking wave, you did something wrong and rather than fixing it with Normalize, you should go back to your process and see what you're not doing correctly.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.