Customer Reviews

True Beauty

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I love this CD. Many of the songs (God Speaking, Voice of a Savior, Love Somebody besides her first two singles) I loved from the first time I heard it. Some of the other songs I got to like after hearing them second time or so.
People who are putting her down because its a Christian cd is unfair. Fine you don't like Christian music thats your opinion and Mandisa wanted to sing Christian thats what she wants.

I loved her on Idol. But at least by NOT winning she can make the kind of music she wants. Go Mandisa!

Mandisa delivers a CD that did not disappoint. I love that fact that there are lots of styles of music on this CD. She delivers songs that are pop in their stlying such as "Only the World", "True Beauty" and "Steal My Joy". She then teams up with Toby Mac on "Love Somebody" for a fun hip-hop sound. She also does a fun dance song in "Shackles" and a great rendition of "Oh my Lord" which is more gospel in its styling. My favorite songs are the ballads like "God Speaking" and "He will Come", but the entire CD is one I know will gets lots of play in my house. It is rare that I find a CD that my entire family loves, but this one got rave reviews from all members of my family. It is a wonderfully encouraging CD and she allows us to see her struggles and where she turns for help with her struggles and that alone makes it a CD that many will connect with.

I LOVED Mendisa on Idol. I'm very happy that she has put out a CD. I'm not a christian music lover, but this is who she. And thankfully she is able to do what she wants, not what she is told to do by corporate America. GOOD FOR YOU, Mandisa. I look forward to a non-christian album.

American Idol finalist and now Sparrow recording artist Mandisa Hundley has much to be thankful for, as do her fans. With the record-breaking release of "True Beauty," Mandisa becomes the first female artist in Billboard history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Christian and Gospel Albums charts with her debut album. With a #1 single ("Only the World," Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts, 5 weeks) and more than 31,000 albums sold in three weeks, Mandisa proves herself one of American Idol Season Five's more chartworthy contestants.

Sparrow Records certainly pulls out all the stops for "True Beauty." With a list of who's who producers, including Doubledutch, Christopher Stevens, Shaun Shankel, Drew & Shannon, and multiple Dove Award winner Brown Bannister, Mandisa finds herself in very capable hands, allowing her natural charisma and style to flow effortlessly through this 11-track stunner of an album. Mandisa's vocal skills are highlighted flawlessly throughout the album, with her stellar pipes ranging from a soft and gentle whisper (channel: "Most Holy Lord, You have my attention," from "Unrestrained") to a blasting furnace (several sections of her kick-[...] retouch of Mary Mary's "Shackles"); the various song styles show Mandisa's ability to adapt to a variety of musical genres, further cementing her skill as a singer and performer.

There is an adequate mix of fast and slow songs on "True Beauty," and the fast ones do not disappoint. Album opener Only "The World" is an obvious first-single choice, and for good reason. The Matthew West-penned toe-tapper has "hit" written all over it, with its catchy guitars and feel-good rhythm. (West also contributes "Voice of a Savior," a power ballad that speaks of unity and how people search for something to give meaning to their lives, and "Steal My Joy.") The track that follows it, True Beauty, is an ode to self-esteem and girl power, packaged in a head-bopping hiphop beat; Mandisa wrote the lyrics to the album's title track. After featuring her on "Lose My Soul," Christian rap-rock artist TobyMac returns the favor with his group Diverse City in the dancefloor nugget "Love Somebody," a catchy, disco-esque stomper of an album track if ever I've heard one.

Mary Mary's "Shackles (Praise You)" gets a synth horns-drenched uptempo remix, courtesy of Christopher Stevens, who deserves all the props for the rearrangement of this definitive Christian hit; Mandisa lets herself go all out on this stunning revival that can definitely have you headed straight for the dance floor. The Every Heartbeat-esque "(Never Gonna) Steal My Joy" is a poppy joyful track, while "Oh My Lord," which features the Fisk Jubilee Singers, of which Mandisa was once a member, channels old-school Afro-American church gospel rhythms.

"True Beauty" isn't short of ballads, however. The jewels of "True Beauty" are two worshipful ballads: "God Speaking" and "Unrestrained." "God Speaking," written by Ronnie Freeman, is a contemplative ballad that speaks of how God can reach out to us in infinite ways; "Unrestrained," on the other hand, is a truly worshipful song that takes its inspiration from the grace and forgiveness extended Mary Magdalene when she washed Jesus' feet with her hair, tears, and perfume. (Luke 7:36-50) Written by Tony Sutherland and Calvin Nowell, "Unrestrained" is taken to soaring new heights by Mandisa. Both must-have ballads are delivered, naturally, by the Clive Davis of the Christian music industry, Brown Bannister. Other ballads worth noticing include the aforementioned "Voice of a Savior" and album closer "He Will Come." As a matter of fact, the only real hiccup on the album is the rather forced upbeat track "Only You," a misstep for Shaun Shankel, who hit a home run with "Only The World."

Note: if you purchase "True Beauty" off Amazon.com, you will receive a special enhanced CD that allows you to enter a special section of Mandisa's website that gives you free downloads and behind the scenes videos. I got a remix of "Only The World" that was marginally good.

(This review appears on my personal blog as well.)

After hearing "Only The World" on the radio, I decided to check out the full album. Like I usually do before purchasing a CD, I sampled this CD on Amazon. I wasn't 100% sold on it after listening to the samples, but it still sounded promising (it's hard to experience a song with just a clip) so I decided to purchase it. I was glad I did. As a whole, the CD is excellent. Various styles are integrated into this CD which makes it interesting; some gospel, a little bit of funk, some R&B, pop, etc.
Mandisa's talent shines the most on the upbeat songs (which the majority of this album is). Although she sounds great on the slower songs, they failed to keep my interest or move me. Even though I didn't care for the slower songs, they weren't so bad that I would call them "fillers"
Some of the standout's on this CD are: "True Beauty", "Love Somebody", "Shackles (Praise You)", and "Oh My Lord".
I've watched American Idol off and on and without question Mandisa is one of the most talented that the show has seen.
To sum it up... this CD contains great songs by a powerful singer. Definately worth the purchase.

I adore Mandisa!!!! This album is truly a blessing and a must have in every Cd collection. One of my favorite songs: track 4: Voice of a Savior, I play many times a day! Just an uplifting and beautiful album.

After reading Mandisa's mini bio on the American Idol website when when she was on AI and hearing her sing "Shackles" by Mary Mary I figured she would put out a Christian album, therefore I figured she wouldn't win because how could she win and put out a Christian album? (However I didn't expect her to go as soon as she did)

What threw me about the CD was that it was CCM and not Gospel. While I do like CCM, the songs kinda bored me at first. As the CD started to grow on me I found myself really enjoying "God Speaking", "Love Somebody", "Unrestrained", "(Never Gonna) Steal My Joy", and "Oh My Lord". Her version of "Shackles (Praise You)" never grew on me, though. Lol!

If you're into pop sounding CCM you may really like this CD. If you're a die hard Gospel fan and you really don't like to veer from that then this CD isn't for you.

I bought this for my wife, because she was a fan of Mandisa's when she was on AI. Usually, when I buy music from a relatively unknown/new artist, I kind of keep an open mind to what vision they have musically. I can honestly say that I thought that this was going to be a gospel CD, however, the style is more of a Contemporary Christian vibe. Keep that in mind when you make the purchase of this CD. Having said that, I thought this CD was pretty solid. Mandisa's unmistakable power shines through when it has to, but it's not overwhelming and blaring all the time. To me, Mandisa handles all of the vocals with impressive dexterity, and proves to me at least that she knows how to sing. Many artists have great voices, but there is a difference between having a great voice, and using that voice as an instrument to craft a particular sound. I think Mandisa falls into the latter category.

This cd is Excellent! Mandisa has a great voice and every song is amazing. My favorite songs are: Only the world, God speaking, Voice of a savior, Shackles(Praise you), Oh, My Lord, and He Will Come. If you Loved Mandisa on American Idol then you will love this cd!!

This is an awesome CD. You will not be disappointed one bit. Don't hesitate to buy this album right NOW!! You will NOT regret it. I got it the day it came out, and have not stopped listening to it since then. My absolute favorite songs in order are: 8, 4, 1, 3, 6, 5, 11, 10, 2, 7, and 9. Her voice is truly a gift from God you have to hear to believe. I'm so blessed to have discovered Mandisa's CD. It encourages me every time I listen to it!! God bless!! =)