Konvicted

After winning music fans over with his 2003 multi-platinum debut 'Trouble', Senegalese singer Akon returns with more stories from his personal journey via his sophomore CD 'Konvicted'. If 'Trouble' was Akon's ode to redemption (before his music career took off he served time for car theft), 'Konvicted' picks up at rebirth. His mission now is to reinvent himself through his salvation - music.

Although the hit single 'Locked Up' earned him street credibility, the artist’s multifaceted sensibilities are evident on his second album. Akon produced and wrote all but one song on 'Konvicted'. 'Konvicted' balances streetwise swagger, studio originality and common sense to create one of the most honest releases of 2006.

'Smack That', is a deliriously energetic song that has all the ingredients of a masterful club banger and features the aggressive rhymes of eight-mile wordsmith Eminem. Another stand-out song is the anti-gangsta track 'Tired Of Runnin'. Recalling the sincerity of soul legend Curtis Mayfield's timeless 'Super Fly' soundtrack, Akon neo-blues recalls the struggle of stepping away from the game. Working in the tradition of pioneer R. Kelly, Akon moves deftly from hard-knock stories to the dance-floor to inspirational ballads; the verses are full of nimble sing-rapping…with Akon multi-tracking his voice to sing his own backing vocals on the song 'Gangsta Bop'. He proves to be innovative on a production level as well. Unafraid of lacing pop music elements like live piano and the zigzag of violins, the haunting ballad 'Never Took the Time' is a winner. The crowning jewel on 'Konvicted' is the powerful 'Africa', a percussion heavy anthem “dedicated to his homeland”.