Freedom
Artist: Mandisa
Label; Sparrow/EMI
Length: 11/44:09

It’s been a whirlwind three years for Mandisa.  From her American Idol run to her debut album, recording with TobyMac, touring, TV appearances, an autobiography, and her weight loss of eighty pounds, it seems as if there would be little time to grow as an artist.  

Freedom, her third album in just over two years, proves that idea to be a falsehood.  In a way, it is exactly the type of album fans hoped for when she was signed.  Unlike her previous discs, Freedom allows her to stretch a little, and perform songs in a variety of styles that reveal just how wide her range of talents is. 

The single “My Deliverer” is everywhere as I type, and reminds the listener of Nicole C. Mullen’s best work.  “How Much” is the usual r&b, while “Not Guilty” is an emotional ballad about judgment and forgiveness that Sandy Patty would have recorded twenty years ago, had it been available. “Broken Hallelujahs” fits here as well.

“Leave It in the Valley” portrays perseverance, and being able to walk away from the problems, rather than dragging them around with us.  “Victorious” is a gospel track with similar ideas, about what God has done and will do.   “Dance Dance Dance” centers on not listening to the negative voices and doing what you are meant to do.

“Definition of Me” recalls both En Vogue and Mary Mary.  Based on the idea of not allowing anyone but God to define us, it reveals a little bit of Mandisa’s inner fire and brassy “take no prisoners” attitude.  This, along with “Freedom Song”, a fast paced song of celebration, are the best of the disc.  The album closes with “You Wouldn’t Cry (Andrew’s Song)”, a song written from the perspective of a stillborn child, which is both poignant and hopeful.  

With several different styles, Mandisa truly has found her Freedom on this disc.  As she continues to mature both singer and songwriter, the future seems pretty bright for one who had Simon Cowell tell her America would never accept her as a serious artist until she changed her appearance.

Brian A. Smith
19 April 2009