At 16, Paige Lewis has tapped into shadow and yearning that singer/songwriters in her market twice her age don’t often search. It’s almost off-putting to hear someone her age sing of it being easier to die for Christ than live for Him, admit her responsibility for her Lord’s crucifixion and admit her own worthlessness apart from God. She can write of such trouble and temper those sentiments with redemption, giving a complement (or antidote) to the R&B flecked dance pop and big balladry of her teenage sisters in song.
With a vocal tone soulfully splitting the difference between Alanis Morrissette and Jennifer Knapp, Paige works through a majority of the album anchored by some fairly prog
ressive musical elements. The trance vibe of "Hide Myself in You" and a techno sparkle in "Cry Holy" are counterbalanced by accessible sonics. This approach reaches a sublime ridiculousness on "So Not About Me," which sounds like ska as filtered through the prism of ironic lounge pop.
From there, Paige takes an abrupt musical turn. "Here in the Light" and "Jonah" sound like the singer’s angling for Knapp’s fans to come onboard. The more adult-alternative approach concludes the album sweetly, though, with "Darkness Into Light." Even with the aesthetic schizophrenia that marks Paige toward its end, it’s an album that heralds a striking new talent with plenty to say in ways worth hearing.