Our look at the closing lines of reviews of the week’s biggest new music continues with a look at reactions to Akon’s Freedom, which arrives in stores today:

• “Some songs tend to drag on too long, with Akon crooning his chorus catchphrases—’I was wrong for falling in love,’ ‘I just want to keep you longer’—dozens (hundreds?) of times. He’s pop’s new King of Pain.” [Rolling Stone]

• “Akon has turned into a human hook for others these days, thanks to his great voice, and he’s done some fine production for many stars. This tuneful, seemingly effortless set of sun-kissed pop reminds you why he’s in so much demand.” [Boston Globe]

• “T-Pain’s lyrics are clever where Akon’s are dim, and at the chorus T-Pain’s vocals seep down over Akon’s like syrup, eventually covering them whole. But while Akon is outshined, he is not outmaneuvered. He has done something only an extremely secure and forward-thinking person could do: create the circumstances of his own obsolescence, and profit from them.” [New York Times]

• “‘Wanna make love right now, now, no/ Wish we never broke up,’ he mourns on the infuriatingly moreish ‘Right Now.’ But most of the women in the songs are pushovers for his charm, which is considerable. Despite his hip-hop roots and the presence of guest rappers such as Lil Wayne, it’s Akon’s buoyant pop sensibility that prevails.” [Guardian]