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Akon - Freedom
- I’m not sure who deserves more credit for the exhilarating dance tracks offered on “Freedom”: Akon, for being the singer/songwriter, or the computers that make his chipmunk-esque voice and lyrics such as “In my face, like diddy-daddy-doo-da-day” not just bearable, but enjoyable.
On previous records, “Trouble” and “Konvicted,” Akon postured as a former drug dealer with a penchant for violence and crooning catchy hooks. An interesting dichotomy—Akon was a suave and classy thug. But with the downfall of 50 Cent and other gangster rappers in recent years—it’s clear the gangster persona is no longer essential to selling records. On “Freedom,” Akon is a gangster no more—now he’s a gentleman.
Fortunately, Akon has become a better musician for doing away with a facet of his established music persona. Akon has done away with the baggy jeans, with a Gucci suit in their place; Stunna shades replaced with Dolce and Gabbana glasses; the diamond stud remains, but with more courtly connotations. Akon looks the part of a European Gentleman. His music complements this appearance change nicely. With vibrant synthesizers, catchy keyboard riffs, unshakable hooks and a spacious sound—Akon has produced great dance music in the vein of European with hints of techno.
“Beautiful” and “Against the Grain” are the CD’s highlights—both are wonderfully emotive. “Against the Grain” sounds absolutely gorgeous and makes for an interesting counterpart to “I Wanna Love You,” Akon’s anthem for loving strippers. Akon may need to chill out with saying beautiful so many times on the track, “Beautiful”; it loses its aesthetic and epistemological appeal when said over 100 times in a single song. But the song sounds and feels, for lack of a better word, beautiful.
“Right Now (Na Na Na)” and “Troublemaker” are also great, but in going through the CD again, it’s clear that the songs are undeniably similar sounding. Akon may not break the mold with each song, but he sticks to a successful formula, and for this collection of songs, Akon has achieved a creative freedom in freeing himself from a trite gangster persona.
Reviewer: Matthew Doyle
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7.5
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 5-Jul-2009
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