Akon's Freedom sticks to what works

The album could have benefited from a few singles.

By Derek Reagan

Published Dec. 9, 2008

Everyone's favorite hook man (well, except for maybe T-Pain) Akon has released his third solo album, Freedom. While the R&B singer's album was rumored to include a song featuring Michael Jackson, the song never came to fruition. Even without the King of Pop's help, Freedom is a solid album — though a disappointment when compared to Akon's Trouble and Konvicted. Freedom is a smooth album but lacks the radio singles found on Akon's previous albums. Akon fans will enjoy the fact he hasn't strayed too far from the path, but it is Freedom's lack of singles that is its the downfall.

The album's first single "Right Now (Na Na Na)" is a smooth song that borrows very heavily from Underdog Project's "Remember," with similar synth and percussion pieces. Sometimes samples can help an artist take a known sound and give it the extra "umph" needed, but this is not the case here. The song's chorus hasn't even been changed, the only addition being the words "right" and "now."

For being the first single, "Right Now (Na Na Na)" is very underwhelming, much like "Troublemaker" featuring Sweet Rush. It also is heavy on synth, but it just doesn't have the sound or lyrics to make the song anything more than an average track.

"I'm So Paid," on the other hand, is a much better song. The song feels like a laid back summer jam with more effective synth and drum patterns. This is where Akon is at his best with limited verses and chorus duty, as Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne give the song swag.

Another of the album's more promising songs is "Beautiful," vintage Akon singing over eletrosynth and boom-clap percussion. The song is about a girl's beauty, and Akon does a nice job of not getting overly cliché. Colby O'Donis assists Akon with complementary singing and metaphors that mesh nicely. The Kardinal Offishall verse isn't perfect, but it doesn't detract from the song, either.

On "Holla Holla," Akon and his protégé T-Pain can be found actually making good music. Their rendition of trying to holla at a girl goes very well, with a hip-hop beat that could've been on either of their albums. The hook all-stars make this one of the top three songs on the album, one that is sure to hit the radio very soon.

The album's title track "Freedom" is a nice reflective cut (complete with a St. Louis mention) that is easily in contention for the best song of the album. The inspirational track sounds great with Akon's smooth vocals. Akon has always done a nice job when he has decided to do something a little more meaningful than the norm ("Mama Africa" or "Sorry, Blame It on Me").