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Sunday, August 12, 2007

Mandisa CD Review: You Go, Girl!

In his review of Mandisa’s CD, “True Beauty,” “Entertainment Weekly” writer Jonathan Bernstein wrote, “Plus-size powerhouse Mandisa may have exited season 5 amid accusations of her homophobia, but at least she realizes her considerable pipes and self-righteousness are best suited to Christian pop. ‘True Beauty’ sets its no-fun agenda in the catchy yet disapproving title track, which preaches, ‘Enough sex and the city, what about purity?’”

Self-righteousness? No-fun agenda?

This comes just a month after “EW” writer Simon Vozick-Levinson wrote about her single, “Only the World”: “I'm not sure, however, why anyone other than a diehard Fandisa would give this more than a couple spins. It's got a sweet, sunny melody, and Mandisa's voice rings out clear and on-key throughout. But those motivational lyrics (‘It's only the world I'm living in/It's only today I've been given/There ain't no way I'm giving in’) sound like they come from a rejected Hallmark card, and the half-hearted rhythm guitar licks and bobbing bassline provide approximately 95 percent less funk than, say, Maroon 5's last single. As Mandisa herself puts it in the first verse, ‘nothin' new here's/What I do here.’ I'd be surprised if this song has any legs on the pop charts; I guess I could see it replacing Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" as a go-to feel-good tune for romantic comedy trailers.”

Clearly, they just don’t get it…

“True Beauty” is a Christian CD. It’s completely unapologetic in its message of not getting wrapped up in the world and staying focused on God. It wasn’t recorded to produce top 40 hits, it was recorded to spread that message.

And no doubt it was recorded to combat the messages of people like “EW” who think that living a Christian life means not having any fun.

And for that, I would just like to say to Mandisa…

“YOU GO, GIRL!”

As for the CD itself, it’s at its best when Mandisa shows a little restraint with her voice. “God Speaking” is a stunningly gorgeous ballad that will no doubt make its way into churches all across the country. “Voice of a Savior” is a soft-pop gem, while “Only the World” has an infectious vibe that sucks you right in.

There are a few bumps along the way as “Love Somebody,” featuring TobyMac and Diverse City, goes a little over the top for my taste with its Chaka Khan vibe and Mandisa’s version of Mary Mary’s “Shackles (Praise You)” suffers a tad from an overblown horn arrangement. Plus, “Oh My Lord” featuring the Fisk Jubilee Singers is a little too old school gospel for me with its chain sound effects.

But when Mandisa rips out the second of her gorgeous ballads, “He Will Come,” to close out the CD, you’ll feel like you just listened to something pretty special.

If you’re not a fan of Christian music, you will not like “True Beauty.” But if you don’t mind hearing some fun songs with positive lyrics for a change, I highly recommend this one as it’s a “True Beauty”…