After hearing “Say Something” on the radio back in December, I was urged to pre-order the rest of “Is Anybody Out There?”, the latest album of “A Great Big World.” Just as I was about to go to sleep on Monday, I saw that nine new songs had been added to my iTunes library. I was so excited that I stayed up an extra hour listening and re-listening to all of them, although it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, I was not disappointed.

“Say Something” may lead one to think that the rest of the album is going to be emotional and dramatic, but to my surprise the majority of the songs were notably hopeful. Each individual song formed vibrant images in my head of the encouraging tales they had to tell. The unique story each song has to tell makes it easy for anyone to relate to the album.

This album has unexpectedly become my first choice for cheerful music. No matter the mood of the listener, I can nearly guarantee that Is Anybody Out There? will put them in a better frame of mind, as well as remind them that they truly live in a great big world with infinite opportunities.