Matthew West's music is rife with honesty, creativity, optimism, and most importantly, a love for God. He is an exceptional musician whose debut CD Happy is a joy through and through for its listeners. It comes with a clear message: be happy - God wants us to feel glad.

The CD opens with "More," a well-written song with inviting lyrics that remind us that we are God's and he loves us "More than the sun and the stars I taught how to shine." Next is the optimistic and uplifting "Happy" with its great musical and lyrical composition reminding Christians to show the joy that comes with their faith.

Happy becomes a bit more serious as it moves into "The Turnaround," a beautiful song begging for God to save us and help us turn our world around. In this song, West writes a wonderful reminder for when we wonder about our sufferings. "If I wasn't drowning I wouldn't need you to save me. If I wasn't broken I wouldn't need you to heal me."

Addressing our habitual hiding from our bad days is the comforting and cheering song, "The End." This song reminds us that the Lord controls even our worst days. Just because a day hasn't been perfect that doesn't mean it's the end of the world, so get up and keep living! This song is guaranteed to put a smile on a sad face by the time it (finally) ends.

"Out of my Hands" and "Every Second" are beautiful songs of commitment and longing to be with the Lord. "The Lie" encourages people to be strong in the midst of peer pressure. "Curtain" ends the CD with the hope of a better life after our worldly life is over. Perhaps he had the statement, "All the world's a stage" (Shakespeare) in his mind when he wrote that song?

West's voice is clear and he has good diction, making the lyrics easy to follow. The music is fun while also having a very full sound. Overall, Matthew West's Happy is a great buy that is well worth the time to give a listen to.