Akon Album: “Freedom: Asian Tour Edition [Bonus DVD]”

It's kinda sad to admit that "johnknapik" is right! Akon has moved into a direction many of his long-time fans will not appreciate.

In his first two CDs he concentrated on HipHop heavy beats and songs about Life&struggle;&love;, where his unique voice really had its place. But currently Akon has moved to Pop-Dancefloor beats and sing-along love songs which kinda doesn't seem right...

Of course the songs are very catchy, but I don't expect that kind of music from Akon. Sorry, but I'll skip this one and wait for Akon to find back to form (same is true for Kanye and Common).

I discovered Akon after listening to 'Lonely' for the first time from his Trouble album and I was intrigued. I continued listening to him on and off afterwards and while I counted him as one of the better rappers, I admit that I didn't like him completely.

With this album, things changed, however. This is among the best album I have ever heard.

More than anything else, I believe I can contribute my love of the album to the fact that it's practically an entire album of love songs. It's not that I'm addicted to love songs, but Akon seems to have a knack for singing really good love song (I had loved his all of his previous love songs). Furthermore, another really important thing that added to this album is that almost every single track is something you can really dance to. The entire album consists of songs that would do extremely well on radio/TV (something which the vast majority of albums can't claim).

Truthfully, the album was not something I had expected from a rap artist like Akon. I had expected, well, a rap album, but 'Freedom' isn't really a rap album. The songs here fits more into the 'techno/dance' category. One would think it would be highly difficult for a rap artist to make such a transition, but Akon does it *beautifully*.

Almost every song in the album contains catchy music, good lyrics, and importantly, they don't all sound alike. The moment a song begins, you can tell instantly what track it is simply because the music is that distinct.

Ultimately, let me get to the point: This is Akon's best album so far and one of the finest albums from any artists I've heard. For those thinking of purchasing the album, spend the money, and fall in love with such solid tracks as Right Na Na Na, Beautiful, Keep You Much Longer, Be With You, and Sunny Day. The album is worth every single penny and I hope to see such quality from Akon in the future.

I really think Akon's music has been improving every year from when he made Ghetto up to making Right Now, Freedom, Troublemaker and much more. He really has great talent and through his music he has shown how much he really expresses his life. I hope he keeps going.

With the exception of a few songs (i.e. "Holla"), the cd turned out to be much better than I thought. Akon has tried to reinvent himself musically and the music really reflects the point in his life he is in right now. Good CD to jam to while driving.

I enjoyed this album a lot. It has a lot of heart and it gives you a good feeling when you listen to it because it is so real. I think Akon out did himself tenfold. I hope his next album is as good as FREEDOM.