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80This tuneful, seemingly effortless set of sun-kissed pop reminds you why he's in so much demand.
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70Despite a preponderance of uptempo songs that puts Freedom in similar territory to Ne-Yo, the record is still very recognisably Akon.
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70While '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.
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Whatever the reason, Freedom forgoes almost any signifiers that might pigeonhole him.
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Akon's undeniable gift for hooks makes this an easy listen, and the ex-con posturing isn't missed.
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60The writing on this third album's greatest strength. [Feb 2009, p.109]
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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.
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Beneath the digital production and R2D2 vocals, Akon is secretly an old-fashioned romantic, and his third album is his most heart-on-sleeve.
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60Despite his hip-hop roots and the presence of guest rappers such as Lil Wayne, it's Akon's buoyant pop sensibility that prevails.
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Freedom will be a disappointment, and a predictable one at that.
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50On album three, he tests out heartbreak, and his emotional wiring doesn't cooperate.
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50If anything, the album sounds like a CD-R of demos that an aspiring pop star wouldn't mind losing.
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Freedom is mostly lame club tunes with mega-auto-tuned vocals about wishing "I could just stop by and lay by your side."
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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.
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40Every track here is interchangeable, not only with each other, but with anything from his back catalogue. [Feb 2009, p.76]
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40Somehow, 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.
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20Unfortunately, all this really means is an extra emphasis on weirdly pitched keyboard riffs and slightly dated sounding beats.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 8
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Mixed: 0 out of 8
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Negative: 2 out of 8
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8
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RodericR9Very solid album, worth many listens, and a couple gems on here. Between Akon, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, and Timbaland we've gotten some great music.
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Anth0