Akon Album: “Konvicted”

im not a fan to Smack that but wow, the rest of the songs r fire, he dropped a nice song with snoop and then rick ross, this album has great beats styles p jumps into a song, the cd is him at his all time , buy it , even listen to it before you buy, i always do that to make sure its good if you like Akon you will love this cd

Senegalese-American Akon (Actually born in St. Louis) came from nowhere 2 years ago and scored Multi Platinum with his debut"Trouble" and had many single hits like prison anthem "Locked Up" love song cover "Lonely" and "Ghetto". Eventually Akon appeared on loads of other artists albums and almost became an established artist all of sudden. Akon most significant quality is his versability as a musician. He got a very un-orthodox voice that is easy to notice and he's both a rapper and a singer(perhaps he should stick to singing?) and he came out as a man with a troubled past just like 50 Cent, The Game and others. Akon spent time in prison which many of his songs are also about. Thus, Akon was interesting enough 2 years ago even if he's album "Trouble" was only decent. Now, 2 years later we all got higher expectations of Akon, he's appeared on countless of other albums and even produced songs on his own. So what is the verdict?

"Konvicted" that further deals with his time in prison (Shake Down) and macho thug life (Blown Away, Smack That, Gangsta Bop) and from time to time some love songs also (where Akon is best) but the album seems to pick up where "Trouble" left off. There are no major surprises, Akon do what he can to not dissapear and he gets help from the likes of Master P, Eminem and Snoop Dogg in form of guest appearances. None of the appearances are anyting special though and I'm a little surprised that no female artist is feautured. The Snoop duet "I Wanna Love You" is called "I Wanna F*ck You" on the explicit version and is embarrasing lyrically, although Snoop's lyrics are the same on both versions. "The Rain" seems to deal with how it is to be a celebrity and is ok, however like I said before, Akon shines most on love-ballads without guests where he sings and not raps. "Never Took the Time" is great and defenitely my favorite here. "Tired Of Running" where Akon confesses he's tired of Gangsta Life is also a good slow tempo. "Once in A While" with Kanye West esque speed up hook is also a great song and sounds like "Lonely Part 2". Ditto with "Don't Matter" which is simular. The song "Mama Africa" is quite unique with an African feeling, a song where Akon pay tribute to his African Roots (and other black folks too).

Overall, Akon picks up where his last album left, but it seems like Akon hasn't yet realized where his gift is and which direction he should chose. I really like Akon and I think with the right producers and guidance he could become a top notch artist. The problem is this, Akon should stick to singing and stick to mid-tempo or love-songs. He's a good singer and his very unique voice is always welcomed. It's all those thug-like, Prison themes and party songs that makes this album weaker. I also think that none of the guest-artist improved this album one bit. The good songs are good, but the bad songs are bad here, hence It's a typical 3 star album. If you liked his last album you will get more of the same and probably enjoy it but if you just like me knew the quality that this man and wanted an major improvement you will be a little dissapointed. The album is not bad though.

This young man seems to be everywhere. My son really enjoys his music and has been to numerous dance conventions where they use this same CD for lessons. Im happy with my purchase

This album is a near classic. It only missed it by a few songs. Akon has always had talent. Thats why i am so happy with this album, because his first album was terrible and i thought it served him no justice. All the song were produced terribly and the songs themselves were just garbage. But aftere hearing "I Wanna Love U" on the radio and i was instantly addicted to its sexy but ghetto feel. So when Konvicted dropped i ran and got during my lunch break and listened to it on the drive back. And i honestly liked just about every song. The only songs i really skipped over were "Never Took The Time" and "Once in A WHile". Other than those to tracks everything else was good. My favorite song is probably either "I Can't Wait" which is just a mid tempo love song with a nice vibe to it, or "Mama Africa" because this song is the perfect song for vacationing, it has a jamaican feel to it and Akon is just on point with his lyrics. But the best thing about this album is the production is so much better. Akon is definetly here to stay after this album. Because this was the album that he reached out to a more diverse crowd. Here is the best way to describe how truly good this album is, i believe that if America were to have a time capsule right now, i think that Akon's album would be an option to put in there because he is just such a loud voice and his music really moves people and there will never be another Akon. Overall the album is great but still not perfect.

Grade:

B+

i WAS VERY SUPRISED WITH THE LATEST ALBUM FROM AKON. I WORK IN EDUCATION AND THE STUDENTS LOVED TRACK NUMBER FOUR. AFTER LISTENING TO THE ENTIRE ALBUM, I IMMEDIATELY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE ALBUM. I SIMPLY LOVE THE FLAVOR OF THE ALBUM AND THE MESSAGE IN EACH SONG IS ON POINT.