Mandisa shot to instant fame when millions of TV viewers across the nation were captivated by her winning smile and powerhouse vocals as she sang her way into the final rounds of American Idol’s fifth season. She signed to Sparrow Records one year later and her first radio single, “Only The World” reached top 5 on the Christian AC chart, was the #1 Billboard Retail Single for 5 weeks straight, and her debut album, “True Beauty” debuted at #1 on the Christian charts. Mandisa made history by being the only solo female artist to debut her first album at #1 on the Christian chart in the history of Billboard. Even with all of those accolades, it’s the heart and message of Mandisa that wins over fans around the world.
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01.
Only the World
02.
True Beauty
03.
God Speaking
04.
Voice of a Savior
05.
Love Somebody (feat. TobyMac and Diverse City)
06.
Unrestrained
07.
Shackles (Praise You)
08.
Steal My Joy
09.
Oh My Lord (feat. Fisk Jubilee Singers)
10.
Only You
11.
He Will Come
12.
Only The World (Remix) (free bonus download)
13.
True Beauty (Remix) (iTunes Bonus Track)
14.
Broken Into Beautiful (vCast Pre-Order Bonus Track)
Truly cool!| Posted May 13, 2009
I really loved the songs on this CD. My favorites were "Only the world" "shackles" and "He will come"; the last one was a very nice departure from the rest of the CD and sounded (wonderfully so) like she sung it at an intimate gathering of friends. Matthew West co-wrote a lot of the songs and it was interesting to see that he can write such diverse material. Absolutely a great album.
Only The World - Mandisa| Posted March 26, 2009
Mandisa was a fan favourite on the hit reality television show "American Idol" in season five. She instantly impressed thousands of Christians after she proclaimed, on-air, forgiveness to Simon Cowell, (the show’s most harsh judge) after he made an offensive remark about her weight.
After landing a spot in the top nine contestants on the show, she performed "Shackles" by the gospel duo Mary Mary, and received not-so great reviews from the shows' judges. She received enough votes to keep her one more week, where she was voted out after never even being in the bottom three of the voting scheme.
Just one year after Mandisa was voted out, she released Idol Eyes her story on how she dealt with ‘faith, fat and fame’. Shortly before the release of her book, Mandisa announced she had signed a record deal with EMI, a branch of SONY BMG, the same branch that signed other Christian artists such as Chris Tomlin and tobyMac.
Only the World is best described as a great ‘reminder’ song for what is yet to come. The entire song is devoted to the joyous event of when we get to heaven. The song opens by giving the idea of having constant hardships and quickly jumping into the chorus which brings much joy and hope. The song reminds us that the hardships we face come from the world we living in, after it was painted with sin. While the world is full or hurt and pain the song reminds us that there is no point in giving in or giving up since our Father is creating a place of perfection and peace for us- Heaven. The song repeatedly reminds us that Heaven is worth the hard times we’ll face here on earth, as they are only temporarily while what awaits us is eternal.
With the song, Mandisa gives us a sound of contemporary with a touch of her Black Gospel roots. Only the World was an excellent song for Mandisa and her producers to pick to showcase what to expect from her album and I’m sure that it’ll be a chart topper in the Christian genre.
Mandisa Is Back!| Posted November 13, 2008
The sassy big girl from American Idol is back and defining what true beauty really is! Mandisa's vocals soar over the spicy R&B songs and the tear-jerking ballads. My favorites are "Only the World", "Love Somebody", "Never Gonna Steal My Joy" and "He Will Come". Mandisa Rocks!
awesome CD| Posted April 08, 2008
My wife wanted this CD and I thought ok we will pre order it so she could have it. I didn't know how much it was going to touch me with the songs that are on it. The song God Speaking is a great way to see that sometimes we don't think about God being in everything. It's absolutely one you will not want to put away.
Nothing Short of Impressive| Posted October 09, 2007
I remember her from AI, and how she was my favorite that year. I was so glad that she decided to go with the Christian genre. Through some reviews I read, it seems people don't like the fact that this album explores so many genres and that she hasn't yet "found her category." However, I think it's great because it gives a wide variety of songs, ranging from R&B, gospel, '90s, urban, and contemporary. The R&B songs (Only the World, True Beauty, Only You) seem like the genre she's most comfortable with, but it's nice to get some other flavors mixed in. Her shining moments, however, appear in the ballads and slower-tempoed music. Her first ballad, "God Speaking," reminds me of the powerhouse vocals we knew and loved from AI, giving her a chance to really show off that awesome voice. "Voice of a Savior" is not quite a ballad, but it does have a slower tempo to it. This is probably my favorite song on here, mostly because of the lyrics and melody. The lyrics are very simple, but very meaningful, and the chorus is very catchy. "Unrestrained" is tied with "God Speaking" for the best ballad, because it too is very powerful and catchy. "He Will Come" is probably my least favorite song on the album, simply because it just doesn't have the "magic" all the others have, and the melody isn't very catchy like the others. The remaining 4 songs are all very diverse. "Love Somebody," a collaboration with TobyMac, has more of a funky, disco feel to it, a lot like his song "One World" from Portable Sounds. "Oh My Lord" is a very gospel song, complete with a choir. It sounds like an old spiritual like a black church would sing, and is very awesome! "Shackles" is her take on the MaryMary hit, which she sang on AI in a shorter version. I was very pleased she decided to record this, and it is almost better than the original :-). "Steal My Joy" is in competition with VOAS for best song on the album. It reminded me of Amy Grant's "Every Heart Beat" with its '90s feel to it. It has a great message, and did I mention it's unbelievably catchy and addictive?
Excellent: God Speaking, Unashamed, Only The World, True Beauty, Voice Of A Savior, Love Somebody, Shackles, Steal My Joy, Oh My Lord
Good: Only You, He Will Come
OK: None
Bad: None
Truly Beautiful| Posted August 30, 2007
Five Stars, Hands Down! This album is beautiful, every song is wonderfully composed and sung. All of the songs stand out for their own unique reasons. Everyone is a gem. Mandisa is truly a talented person, and she truly loves the lord, and that is evident in all of her music.
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