What If We Were Real

Style: Programmed pop/rock; compare to Brit Nicole, Kelly Clarkson, Natalie Grant

Mandisa

EMI

April 5, 2011

Top tracks: “Stronger,” “These Days,” “The Truth About Me”

The vocal powerhouse and songwriter packs this album with songs of joyful overcoming in spite of hard circumstances—believable because of the American Idol alum’s personal, and public, battle with weight loss (she has lost 100 pounds). Sporting an aggressive radio-ready edge to her typically adult contemporary sound, Mandisa sparks an electrical charge with let-loose vocals and trendy tracks. Some of the verses are less than lyrical, but no cheesy rhyme can hide Mandisa’s big musical heart. To borrow a line from “Just Cry”: “God can handle your honesty.”

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