If you pay attention closely enough, you can almost pinpoint the moment that R&B stars realize that Europeans are often said to revere R&B, the way Americans revere rock & roll. Something shifts in their sound. Rather than retreating deeper into the tenants of the genre and repurpose it for the better, they forfeit the sensibility that got them where they were in the first place in exchange for a brighter spotlight to be shown during their fifteen minutes of fame. Sometimes it works (Beyonce) and sometimes it doesn’t. As is the case with Akon’s latest coaster CD, Freedom.
To say Freedom sucks would be an injustice because it doesn’t. Akon has managed to assemble a collection of songs that are– in hindsight– perfectly placed in what is sure to be a healthy discography. From Trouble to Konvicted the next logical step is Freedom. Gone are the mysogynystic lyrics about pole dancers and instead there are songs about the fear of love and life without love (“Over The Edge,” “Keep You Much Longer”).
If I didn’t know any better, old boy is growing up (“Be With You”). It’s not until fellow heavyweights Jeezy and Lil Wayne show up on “I’m So Paid,” the you get a whiff of Akon’s more urban flare.
When Akon, released his sophomore CD, Vibe magazine hailed him as the last hitmaker. Let’s hope for his sake and the sake of his eight wives, those weren’t the last of his hits. Although…. it is quite possible that damn autotune might have soured us on Akon’s naturally high pitch– sometimes electronic sounding–tone. And now that he’s gone all synth/80s pop on us, there may be no turning back.
But don’t fret my pet, Akon is still guap’n majorly off T-Pain –who also just released his third studio CD, Thr33 Ringz–– a much better pick for your playlist.
All in all, there isn’t too much to get amp’d about here. After running it on repeat for a couple hours, I can’t name one standout track. Not one.
Freedom hits shelves today!
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