Akon — Konvicted

Akon is undeniably hip-hop's new Captain Hook, laying down memorable choruses for everyone from Young Jeezy to old Snoop Dogg. Still, he's no album artist. On his promising second outing, the Senegalese-American singer's endearing Cyndi Lauper pipes and polished reggae, R&B and hip-pop productions sound great on sex-charged "Gangstas Just Want To Have Fun" tracks such as the Eminem-produced "Smack That." But negotiating a blowjob in the back of the club requires different skills than gripping a hunk of iceberg lettuce and pledging eternal love. Unfortunately, Akon's sensitive songs suffer from overly literal production (guess what sound effect he uses on "The Rain") and all-too-familiar delivery (particularly R. Kelly's "Ignition" vocal phrasing on the admittedly sweet slow-swayer "Don't Matter").

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