Mandisa. Photo courtesy of Sparrow Records.

Review: Mandisa, Freedom

That some editions of Mandisa’s Freedom contain a cover of the 1979 Sister Sledge classic We Are Family may initially sound funky and cool. But it is actually indicative of one of the problems with the sophomore effort from the American Idol season five finalist.

Just a couple of years ago, ‘Disa burst onto the Christian scene with a voice honed by years as a backup session vocalist in Nashville and her solo turn on Idol. It was a voice and perspective that seemed vibrant and compelling on her debut, 2007’s True Beauty.

But Freedom just sounds old. There’s a reasonably good opening track in My Deliverer — though after listening to it numerous times, mention of the title still brings to mind the Rich Mullins classic of the same name. But then, we are into a series of songs that sound like Amy Grant retreads and soundtracks to motivational seminars. Mandisa’s best shot of energy comes from hip-hop trio Group 1 Crew on Definition of Me. But the album is more defined by songs such as He Is With You, a midtempo, umpteenth retread of Ecclesiastes.

What is missing here is what was so present on True Beauty: an individual voice and sense of adventure. This doesn’t sound like Mandisa as much as it sounds like somebody’s idea of what Christian music by a young African-American woman should be. Frankly, I feel like I’m hearing a lot of legendary producer Brown Bannister, who’s won Grammys helming projects by Amy Grant, CeCe Winans and others, and who was behind the controls for this one with Christopher Stevens. Christian music doesn’t need another Amy or CeCe. It needs Mandisa as Mandisa.