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Paige Armstrong is someone you should know. A cancer survivor at the age of eleven, she has now
taken upon the task of leading her listeners to a full life in Christ. The bold 19-year-old's major label debut album,
Wake Up, is a competent, quality first effort that manages to appeal despite sometimes seeming very familiar.
Armstrong's musical style can be described as a more technical Krystal Meyers. There are lots of crunchy rock guitars
mixed in with some nice solos. Musically, Wake Up varies little both within itself and within its genre.
Occasionally it does break the mold, such as with the funk guitar riff that opens "Episode," but that is not the trend.
The majority of tracks are heavy with mildly catchy, fist-pumping melodies and climaxes. And naturally, there are one or two
ballads to calm things down. The vocals are also very similar to Meyers and unfortunately don't quite stand out from the
crowd. That said, they are solid and fit the music well.
Lyrical themes are clearly geared to the teenage crowd. Armstrong feels very strongly against apathy and this is
apparent in several tracks. "The Story Song" is a clear reference to Armstrong's own struggles with cancer. "Airbrushed
Magazines" addresses self-image. She also speaks out against going with the crowd in "Come Alive," and of course there are
some tracks dealing with relationships. Everything is approached from a Biblical, God-honoring perspective, which is a big
plus. However, within Christian music circles this is somewhat standard fare, once again drawing comparisons to previous artists
in the genre.
At the risk of being repetitive, I found the biggest fault of Wake Up to be it's inability to rise above the
rest of the genre. Everything from the music to the lyrics to the vocals sounds very familiar, because we've mostly heard
it before. With the exception of some unexpected instrumental technicality, Wake Up is par for the course.
In the end, Wake Up is still a very enjoyable album. Fans of girl-driven edgy rock will find plenty to love
here. Paige Armstrong is a worthy role model for teenagers looking for good music to listen to. Wake Up delivers
solid, uncompromising rock that anyone can enjoy. It's not groundbreaking, but it is satisfying.
- Review date: 10/6/09, written by Timothy Estabrooks of Jesusfreakhideout.com
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Paige Armstrong is already familiar to tweens who have attended the iShine Live tours. On tour, nineteen-year-old
Armstrong shared her story of battling and overcoming bone cancer when she was eleven. Not only is she a gifted
speaker, but she now expresses her vocals in another way …singing. The main thing that sets Paige apart from other
teens in the business is the lyrical depth and sheer rawness of the music. Rockers like "Episode," "Apathy," and the
title track draw comparisons to other "chick rockers" like Čowyn and Stephanie Smith. However, the brightest, most
poignant times on the albums are the more reflective ballads like "Thoroughly Complete" and "Unbreak Me," which
feature such real emotion that instantly prove Armstrong is a step above her fellow iShine labelmates. The only
real drawback is that while the style of music suits her voice, it's been done and overdone by other countless
artists, and there's nothing in particular that gives the album a real punch. For this young artist's debut record,
it's clear that the focus was not on production and being unique, but instead introducing Paige into familiar
musical territory. While the tracks are undeniably catchy and her voice shines throughout, it unfortunately leaves
the listener feeling like "it's all been done before."
- Matthew Watson of Jesusfreakhideout.com
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Record Label: Whiplash Records
