Reviewed by Tony Cummings

As you'll know if you've read the Cross Rhythms feature on him, Matthew West is a class act. His 'Happy' album debut was a huge US CCM hit (though strangely unreleased in the UK). Now here's the follow up. Although some may find it a bit too "Nashville safe" for their edgy tastes, the truth is this is hugely impressive, intelligently crafted pop. With crisp production from Kenny Greenberg and Jason Houser - I love the soaring strings of the title cut - the arrangements continually bring out the expressive edge of Matthew's voice. Lyrically too 'History' is full of good things. "The Day Before You" is a song Matthew wrote for his wife and already recorded by the double platinum Rascal Flats, the Beatlesque "Out Of Time" with its memorable opening lines "So you're hungry for a taste of the other side/Where the grass is thick and green," and the haunting "The Last Ones" inspired by a 10 year old girl diagnosed with Down Syndrome are all gems. Matthew West is a new Christian hitmaker you feel sure will be around on the scene for a good few years.

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