The last we heard from Mandisa, she was singing Overcomer, a tribute to her friend and former backup singer, Lakisha. After finding out that she and her husband were going to have a second child, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Mandisa was confident that God would heal Lakisha. God DID heal her but not in the way Mandisa had hoped. After losing her friend, Mandisa slipped headlong into depression…
Fast forward nearly three years to today. Mandisa just finished her latest album. Out of the Dark (deluxe edition) is available beginning today. There are 18 tracks and 4 amazing collaborations with Kirk Franklin, TobyMac, Britt Nicole, and Jeremy Camp. You’ll also find Matthew West, Hollyn, and Ryan Stevenson’s names in the credits of the liner notes.
The gravity of where Mandisa was living after Lakisha died is in track 1 – Voicemail Intro. I’m not even going to give it away. Let’s just say that her friends are desperate to contact her.
I’ve been listening to the first release on the album, “Unfinished”. Mandisa tells the story about Lakisha’s death and her own depression. She shares how she was encouraging to her listeners but then she admits that things changed for her even though she knows that God is good.
Out of the Dark is a pouring out of Mandisa’s heart and soul. She shares a variety of emotions. I love that she’s shared some recordings of stories to introduce a song. They’re brief but powerful. You’ll listen and be blessed as much as I was. I listened three times in a row!
Here’s the story behind Out of the Dark in her own words