"Freedom" is the third album from the R&B singer and producer, Akon, who made it big with a couple of solo hits as well as countless collaborations with others in the same genre and Hip Hop acts too. This 2008 release marks a change in the artist, and reflects in the title as he isn't restricted to emotive work anymore, and is now able to expand to places he hasn't yet explored.
1. "Right Now"
Although it got annoying quite quickly, upon its initial release, this tune was a banger, and one where I could tollerate his decision to go into the pure Pop work as he samples some Euro dance music, to work from, and build into a track which appeal to a similar audience, far from where he began with "Locked Up" in 2004.
**Four Stars**
2. "Beautiful"
After a massive collaboration for the featured artist's album, Kardinal Offishal joins Akon on this one, in a track which them using a similar formula to "the single which came befre this one on the album as it takes on the typical characteristics of a Dance track for the European scene, and pulls in an alternative crowd with Offishals raps (not that I rate him too highy). The chances are that if you liked "Right Now", you will feel the same towards
this.
Giorgio Tuinfort, who is the key person responsible for giving Akon with Euro-Dance influenced sound, takes over in this one and goes for a full-on track in this style, and I have to say that I despise this type of tune, so I was never going to like the monotonous thumping beats of this Pop song from Akon.
**One Star**
4. "Troublemaker"
This is one of the better tracks on the album and gets Akon performing one of the more memorable songs within the release as he does one with a repetitive hook which stick in your mind, and matches this with a simple production composition, which was made by himself alongside Timothy Walls. Although I saw it as amongst the top in the album, it was held back by its mainstream style.
**Three Stars**
5. "We Don't Care"
Keeping the standards at a similar level, you get a tune whihc borrows from Michael jackson's "Billie Jean" with its hard drum beat, and it allows Akon to come out with an up-tempo recording. It gets him attempting to take the normative club sound of '07/'08 change towards the style of "Right Now", but I felt that this transitional tune didn't quite achieve this aim.
**Three Stars**
6. "I'm So Paid"
This is the only track in the album which has Akon working with Hip Hop acts as he does a track alongside Young Jeezy and Lil' Wayne in a track which is made to go out to the type of fans who enjoy this side of the artist where he takes on a secondary role in a trakc whihc is largely Hip Hop-based and only gets him singing the hook and the first verse.
**Four Stars*
7. "Holla Holla"
Konvict Muzik's finest collaborate together as Akon works with T-Pain on this song, and together they come out with fantastic results as ever as they stay to what they are best at as they sing a song which is suited to the club scene. However it was a little too slow to reach out to the typical fas whihc would usually go for this type of music.
**Four Stars**
8. "Against The Grain"
This one has him do a song in the style of his collaborations as he does one where he sings about falling in love with a stripper as T-Pain did a few years ago. This song grows on you with time, but right now it hasn't really matured on me enough to really want to go out of my way to hear it again.
**Three Stars**
9. "Be With You"
The beats in this one really caught my attention as Akon collaborated with Hakim on the production, however the artist failed to do anything with them in order to really make it put an impact upon the listeners and as a result it was a poorly executed recording which had the potential to do so much more had it been used to a higher standard of vocals.
**Three Stars**
10. "Sunny Day"
This was as much a disapointment as all the other tracks on the album as you have Wyclef Jean join Akon, and they simply keep it on the same level as the rest of the tunes here. its really off-putting and doens't offer any variation within the thing at all. It has a theme which is indentical to several others on it, and by this point in the album, its just not going to be received well.
**Two Stars**
11. "Birthmark"
I beleive that Detail is the only good thing that happened to this one as he gives it some stong Hip Hop beats over a composition which is made by the pair responsible for all the weak tracks in the album: Giorgio Tuinfort and Akon himslef who keep doign the production in the same manner. They are completely misising out the Urban American market in the album, by not doign any club bangers in the record.
**One Star**
12. "Over the Edge"
This is a rather unmemorable one within the album, and one which you won't realy take much notce of even when yu are listening to it. There's a significant lack of energy within this recording and it really brings it down, and prevents it from standing out in the album. You have him looking for a special girl, and finally getting it after a long struggle.
**Two Stars**
13. "Freedom"
The edning to the album is just as plain as the rest of the record and gets him going even more of the Pop work. You have him singing about his journey from Africa to the US, and how he seems to have finally gained freedom, and although I can see how uplifting it is, the content isn't that fun to listen to, and there's not much that I could really enjoy within it at all.
**Two Stars**
I didn't expect much from this album, and it lived up to my personal expectations as he hasn't ever really captured me with his work in the past. His choice to sample lots of Euro-type work is a bad one for his reputation in his own country, as I expect them to dismiss it as 'techno', and I have simialr feelings to the majority of it.
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Jan 20th, 2009
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