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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Freedom
by Akon
The third album for the Grammy-winning singer/producer features guest appearances by Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Young Jeezy, and Wyclef Jean.
| LABEL: |
Universal |
| RELEASE DATE: |
02 December 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
R&B |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
80
Boston Globe
This tuneful, seemingly effortless set of sun-kissed pop reminds you why he's in so much demand.
70
The New York Times
Whatever the reason, Freedom forgoes almost any signifiers that might pigeonhole him.
70
Billboard
While 'Troublemaker' and 'Holla Holla' each sound a lot like prior Akon songs (the former like Kardinal Offishall's 'Dangerous,' the latter like '07's Akon/T-Pain pairing 'Bartender'), ultimately they're highlights for that very reason.
70
Hartford Courant
Akon's undeniable gift for hooks makes this an easy listen, and the ex-con posturing isn't missed.
70
Dot Music
Despite a preponderance of uptempo songs that puts Freedom in similar territory to Ne-Yo, the record is still very recognisably Akon.
60
Rolling Stone
Beneath the digital production and R2D2 vocals, Akon is secretly an old-fashioned romantic, and his third album is his most heart-on-sleeve.
60
Mojo
The writing on this third album's greatest strength. [Feb 2009, p.109]
60
All Music Guide
Akon sounds more comfortable than expected, and he reduces the lechery in favor of longing ("I wanna make up right now") and awe ("When I see you, I run out of words to say"). At times, the tensionless backdrops don't inspire Akon to do much with his pen.
60
The Guardian
Despite his hip-hop roots and the presence of guest rappers such as Lil Wayne, it's Akon's buoyant pop sensibility that prevails.
55
RapReviews.com
Freedom will be a disappointment, and a predictable one at that.
50
Blender
On album three, he tests out heartbreak, and his emotional wiring doesn’t cooperate.
50
PopMatters
If anything, the album sounds like a CD-R of demos that an aspiring pop star wouldn’t mind losing.
50
The Phoenix
Freedom is mostly lame club tunes with mega-auto-tuned vocals about wishing "I could just stop by and lay by your side."
42
Entertainment Weekly
Akon's philosophy of liberty also includes the freedom to reuse nearly identical hooks for 13 songs straight. That approach may bring him plenty money, but it yields only a few legitimately fun tracks, buried beneath a pile of boring retreads.
40
NOW Magazine
Somehow, fond recollections of the bad old days in the ghetto with fellow superstar Wyclef Jean just don’t have the same resonance and uplifting power as previous songs that came from a place of near-defeat and unfulfilled aspirations.
40
Uncut
Every track here is interchangeable, not only with each other, but with anything from his back catalogue. [Feb 2009, p.76]
20
musicOMH.com
Unfortunately, all this really means is an extra emphasis on weirdly pitched keyboard riffs and slightly dated sounding beats.
The average user rating for this album is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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