At the age of 10, Katie Armiger had realized that poems could be turned into music. When she was 14 she won a local singing competition to record a two-song demo. After 8 weeks of competition, Katie came out victorious. By the young age of 15, Katie had released her debut self-titled CD. Believe was released after years of opening for acts such as Jason Aldean and Craig Morgan.

At only 20, Katie Armiger already has three albums in her catalog. Although her singles have never reached the Top 40 on US Country charts, “Confessions of a Nice Girl” is full of songs that are worthy of the honor. The album is able to portray the maturity that Katie has developed over the years. As she says, “I recorded my second album when I was 15, and between 15 and 19, there is just huge differences.” With co-writting credit on 9 of the tracks, Katie provides a confession of her talent. Although she didn’t write “Nice Girl,” “Ain’t Gonna Happen,” “Can You Handle It,” and “Strong Enough” they were picked as final cuts on the album for how well they embodied her thoughts.

Katie has now revamped the original release by releasing a deluxe “True Confessional” featuring 2 brand new songs, an acoustic version of “Cry, Cry, Cry” and a dance mix of “Best Song Ever.” There is also a bonus DVD featuring 4 music videos. These videos have taken Katie’s career to another level. “I Do But Do I” spent 3 weeks at #! on the GAC Top 20 Countdown and “Leaving Home” spent a record 18 weeks on the fan-voted Countdown. With this release, the videos are able to watch any time.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect as I put this CD in iTunes to review. Was this a Taylor Swift wannabe? What can a 20 year old add to country music? Within a few minutes, all of my expectations were blown away. Katie Armiger is a true talent. The CD features Country-Pop hits, but it isn’t the Taylor Swift pop, Katie’s country influences are evident throughout the entire release.

As on every young artists album, there is a fair share of long songs. “Kiss Me Now” and “Can’t Keep Myself From You” are your stereotypical caught in love songs, whereas “Best Song Ever” is able to provide an uplifting alternative to a relationship that isn’t going too well at the moment. When a love song doesn’t fit your relationship status, “Ain’t Gonna Happen” is for you. The basis behind the song is that a relationship “ain’t gonna happen as long as [you're] breathing.”

Country music features all kinds of songs, but I am a sucker for those heart-felt emotion wrenching songs. Katie is able to provide a couple of those on this CD. “I Will Be,” “That’s Why,” and “Cry, Cry, Cry” all take you through a musical heartache. In my opinion, “Leaving Home” is the standout track on this CD. Written about her move to Nashville, the song also acts as the anthem for those headed off to college. More than 30 schools across the nation have used this song to symbolize the transition on graduation day. Not only is the song great for those currently experiencing this, but it acts as a time capsule for those who experienced the same emotions many years ago.

I highly recommend checking out this CD/DVD set that is less than $10 (including shipping) over at Overstock.com. This CD will not disappoint any listeners! It is definitely “Worth It.”

For more on Katie go to her website (www.katiearmiger.com) or follow her on twitter @KatieArmiger

Scotty B.
@stupidkid2150
cmttreviewer@yahoo.com