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ALBUM TITLE: True Beauty
ARTIST: Mandisa
RECORD LABEL: Sparrow/EMI-CMG
OVERALL RATING: Four stars (out of five)
MUST-HAVE DOWNLOADS: God Speaking, Unrestrained, Only The World, Shackles (Praise You), True Beauty, (Never Gonna) Steal My Joy
YOU CAN AFFORD TO MISS: Only You

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-butt 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.) 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 DiverseCity 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, both of whom have their own versions of Unrestrained on their respective websites, 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.

Click here to listen to Mandisa’s version of God Speaking or here to listen to Mandisa’s Only the World.

Listen to Mandisa Unrestrained mp3, with Unrestrained lyrics after the jump.

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American Idol Season Five finalist Mandisa has debuted at #43 on the Billboard 200 with her debut album, True Beauty (Sparrow/EMI). By selling a little over 17,000 copies, 9th placer Mandisa bests 5th placer Paris Bennett, whose debut album, Princess P (306 Entertainment), debuted at #133 with a little over 6,400 units sold. True Beauty had the benefit, however, of a hit Contemporary Christian single, Only the World, which spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.

Actual tallies will be released on Billboard.com tomorrow, but unless BarlowGirl registers an increase in sales, which seems highly unlikely given the Christian group’s lack of a hit single on the Contemporary Christian singles charts, it seems apparent that Mandisa has debuted as well at #1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums and the Billboard Top Christian and Gospel Albums charts. If this is, in fact, true, that means that Mandisa would have earned the 131st and 132nd and 133rd #1s for the American Idol franchise. (When Only the World topped the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, she added to the initial 130.) It would also mean that the debut of Mandisa’s True Beauty at #43 on the Billboard 200 means American Idol’s Season Five has surpassed Season Three for having the highest number of chart-worthy singers with albums to their credit.

Update: It is true! Mandisa debuts at #1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums and Billboard Top Christian and Gospel albums charts. She is the first female solo artist in the history of the chart to debut at #1 with her debut album! Congratulations, ‘Disa!

Am I a Mandisa fan? Heck, yes. I can’t wait for my True Beauty album to get here, because it takes 4-6 weeks to ship to Manila from the USA. I wanted to add her up on MySpace, but apparently, I can’t get that add. *sigh* You know what I want? A Mandisa interview for LIVEtheLIFE. That’d rock my socks. Come on, Lord, make it happen in Jesus’ name.

(For your listening pleasure, this blog post contains streams of Rush of Fools’ Undo and Glory Revealed’s By His Wounds. It also contains a link to Rush of Fools’ Undo video. GannsDeen.com does not offer mp3’s for download.)

Two hit Christian songs are finding themselves playing non-stop on my iPod uNano. These are Rush of Fools‘ Undo and By His Wounds by Glory Revealed, which is the collective name of Third Day’s Mac Powell, Casting Crowns’ Mark Hall, Backstreet Boys vocalist turned Christian singer Brian Littrell, and Steven Curtis Chapman.

Rush of Fools’ Undo mp3

Undo is an amazing song of surrender to Jesus Christ. The song is currently #1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs. Visit the Rush of Fools website to learn more about this God-anointed band and their critically acclaimed debut album.

Glory Revealed’s By His Wounds mp3

Meanwhile, By His Wounds, a song that honors Christ for His sacrifice on the cross, is #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Christian Adult Contemporary. This powerhouse recording is taken from Glory Revealed: The Word of God in Worship, a CD that features songs crafted directly from scripture.

Lyrics after the jump. Read more

(For your listening pleasure, this blog post contains streams of Jaime Jamgochian’s Lift Up The Name. GannsDeen.com does not offer mp3’s for download.)

Jaime Jamgochian’s new single Lift Up The Name may have peaked at #4 on the Radio and Records’ Inspo charts last week, but this duet with Scott Krippayne does anything but fall short. Jamgochian’s follow-up to her #1 Inspo hit Hear My Worship is a vibrant and anthemic song of praise to Jesus Christ.

Scott Krippayne, meanwhile, is an accomplished singer and songwriter. A song penned by him and pastor Jason Peabody , This Is My Now, was the winning song on American Idol 2007, performed by both American Idol finalists Blake Lewis and Jordan Sparks. (Listen to This Is My Now by Jordan Sparks and This is My Now by Blake Lewis on Rickey.org.)

I had the most incredibly bad week of my life last week. I can honestly say that without exaggeration. It was the worst week of my life. I got through it though, by God’s grace, comfort through Psalm 37:4, and this song to get me by. I hope it refreshes you too.

Jaime Jamgochian’s Lift Up The Name mp3

I’ve always loved Sharing the Night Together. This lovely little song holds many memories for this child of the 80s, and while the song never really meant anything to me (read: never had anyone to ’share the night’ with while that song was popular), the tune and the lyrics always bring a pleasant little smile to my face.

Imagine my shock and utter glee when I learned that Elliott Yamin actually has a version of this song! Elliott’s Sharing the Night Together improves on the original in my opinion, infusing a soulfulness that adds new meaning and listening value to the song. Amazing work, Elliott! My wife is going to flip! Lyrics after the jump.

Do you like Elliott’s version of Sharing the Night Together? Leave a message!
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Ayiesha Woods’ debut album, Introducing Ayiesha Woods, is now available locally at all House of Praise outlets nationwide.

If you’d like to start your year off with a bang, I suggest you pick up a copy of this clever opus and enjoy the brilliance that emanates from Ayiesha Woods.

The Gotee recording artist’s international major-label debut does not disappoint at all. It is nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Contemporary/Gospel album (going up against Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Third Day, and fellow debut artist Leeland), which, by my standards, only underlines the quality that comes with this album.

Woods is a truly soulful singer whose album captures essences of pop, alternative rock, hiphop, even reggae/dancefloor. On this album, she works with Chris Stevens (Toby Mac, Shawn McDonald, Paul Wright), Otto Price and Ric Robbins (Out of Eden, Grits), and David Mullen (Nicole C. Mullen, Anointed); the latter penned Happy, my #1 single of 2006.

Woods’ vocals revolve around a textured, gritty voice that can adapt to soul, pop, and reggae flavorings. She may not have much range, but her rich vocal and passionate delivery certainly make up for it (glad to see that the ‘black Christian diva’ is not at work here).

Aside from Happy, do try the folksy The Remedy, the driven Big Enough, toe-tapper Days and my personal favorite, Crazy, the dancefloor Caribbean stunner that could get as much airplay on secular stations, were it not for the openly Christian lyrics.

Woods’ album resonates around the themes of redemption, finding God’s love, and living the life. I strongly encourage you to give it a listen (it’s a free listen at House of Praise!), and test me in this, see if this album will not grab you by the collar and refuse to let go. One of my current albums on constant replay, and undoubtedly one destined to become a classic in my collection.

Cathy and I were driving home one night when we started talking about videos, and we got to talking about our favorite music videos. As it turns out, my heavily pop-oriented lifestyle finds me selecting videos that simply appealed to me for its visual splendor and song style. Not surprisingly, almost all these songs come from the early 90s, so take a trip back in time when music videos toed the line between kitsch and kewl.

What are some of your favorite music videos?

[youtube=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAK1Nzi_zZM”]
Galileo by Indigo Girls. This is one of my favorite videos of all time, and if I had a choice, I’d probably have three Indigo Girls videos in my Top 5 – this one and their videos for Least Complicated and Touch Me Fall. I’ve always believed that Indigo Girls deserves a bigger place in the music pantheon, and this well-thought video, created cheekily with wit and sarcasm firmly in place, ranks highest amongst my favorite vids.

[youtube=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5vEm70CEy0”]
Walking On Broken Glass by Annie Lennox. I like this video because it’s so campy! As if that weren’t enough, John Malkovich makes a guest appearance as the fellow who breaks Lennox’s heart. This character shows up in a later video of Lennox’s, Little Bird. By the way, if you’re a fan of these Victorian-type videos, click here to see another splendid one from Bananarama for their cover of Long Train Running.

[youtube=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buYoINMyXOI”]
The Dream Is Still Alive by Wilson Phillips. Hey, a Ganns list without Wilson Phillips? You’ve got to be kidding. I like this video most of all, because it reminds me of a more innocent time, and the Flower Power heritage of Chynna Phillips and Carnie and Wendy Wilson comes to full fruition here.

[youtube=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Fr6Y3NJB8”]
Remember the Time by Michael Jackson. I remember this video was soooo hyped back in the day! It’s actually quite well-made, and the special effects here were state-of-the-art at the time. Yman has never looked more regal.

[youtube=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AW0O-0gCgY”]
Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos. Between this and Silent All These Years, I would say Tori Amos is pure visual genius. Cornflake Girl is a visual spectacle of train of thought, a totally mesmerizing video that leaves the viewer strangely unsettled.