After building a strong following playing at college campuses all across the U.S., newcomer Matthew West found himself with a sweet record deal (a co-op thing between Sparrow Records in the Christian market and Universal South for mainstream) and a sudden opportunity to take his music to the masses.

Happy is the culmination of West's work -- his debut album, produced by Kenny Greenberg and Jason Houser. Happy is a collection of engaging, energetic pop/rock songs sure to perk up your ears. West rollicks his way through these eleven pure, good old fashioned rock songs with a joyful abandon that lets you know he's enjoying every minute. The album's title may be on-the-nose, but it's accurate: it's hard not to smile while listening to these infectious melodies and West's jubilant delivery.

But don't let the upbeat mood fool you -- West has plenty of substance to say. Though it's all of the "pick-you-up" variety, it's not blissfully ignorant of life's troubles. West instead takes the position that life is going to be hard and there's no way around that, but we can still choose to be happy, and find our joy in Christ. He finds a myriad of ways to express this sentiment, examining it from all angles, and surprisingly, it never gets old. Happy is darn near impossible to dislike. Charming and confident, Matthew West makes a lasting impression with his first disc. I can't wait to hear more.