Mandisa

Freedom
Sparrow Records

There was never any doubt where Mandisa stood. She thanked God. She sang about Him. She took the barbs about her weight from Simon and smiled.

And despite placing ninth in the fifth season of “American Idol,” there was a sense that her 15 minutes of fame was going to be extended. It was.

Her Grammy-nominated 2007 album “True Beauty” made her the first female artist to debut at No. 1 on the Top Christian Album chart, and her stellar 2009 follow-up “Freedom” could easily return her there.

Despite her possessing pipes perfect for gospel, this 11-song record is tightly produced, spiritually sound and a fantastically fun collection of praise pop, sound-track ready ballads and — as with “Dance, Dance, Dance” and “The Definition of Me” — occasional Beyonce-esque hip-hop bubblegum (“They say I’m cute with the boots and the trendy attire / ‘You’re kind of reminiscent of a younger Mariah’”). Highly recommended.