Paige Armstrong - Wake Up

Producer: Chris Omartian & Brian Hitt
Record Label: iShine Records
Website:  http://www.paigehasastory.com

19 year old singer/songwriter Paige Armstrong has a story can make even the hardest of hearts break. At the age of 11, Paige was diagnosed with bone cancer and as a result, had a long stay at the hospital.  As a part of the Make-a-Wish foundation, Paige was able to go to Nashville and record an album.  Cuts from that disc made their way on to a Bath & Body Works Holiday compilation CD as well as appearances on notable television programs like Today and Extra.  Now, Paige is cancer free and taking a message to young people about finding their own story in life.  Wake Up is a surprisingly strong national debut for the pop/rock vocalist.  Armstrong’s Wake Up sounds like Krystal Meyers on steroids with blazing guitars and engaging vocals.  This album is crisp rock ‘n roll with a smidgen of punk and hard core - definitely not the sound you’d expect to hear from a bubbly teenager.  The debut single, “Wake Up,” is a rollicking radio friendly tune sure to please fans of commercial-driven rock.  The album’s opener “Episode” is a strong kick-off before going into even more heavy hitting rock anthems like “Apathy” and “Come Alive.”  Paige also makes things more intimate on the album closer “Unbreak Me” and tender “Thoroughly Complete.”  Lyrically, there’s not a lot of new ground covered here.  Paige’s audience will be expecting much of what she’s singing about.  Armstrong touches on subjects like self-esteem and appearance (“Airbrushed Magazine”, “Episode”), conformity (“Come Alive”), finding your place in life (“I Say”), romance (“I Dare You”) and her own struggles with cancer (“The Story Song”).  Overall, Wake Up may not be the most original record released, but it is a surprisingly strong debut from this freshman rocker.  It will be interesting to see how she develops as an artist in the years to come.  Hopefully this won’t be the last we’ve heard from this amazing testimony.

Track listing:
1.  Episode
2.  Apathy
3.  Come Alive
4.  I Say
5.  Wake Up
6.  Thoroughly Complete
7.  Lights Burn Out
8.  I Dare You
9.  The Story Song
10.  Airbrushed Magazines
11.  Unbreak Me