Akon and Stefani: Good for each other
By Sam Adams
For The Inquirer
Aggressively masculine and militantly girly, hip-hop singer Akon and pop princess Gwen Stefani make an unlikely duo. He croons about his time in jail; she crafts rhythmic, often sung-spoken odes to her own fabulousness. But their pairing at the Tweeter Center on Thursday worked to both performers' advantage. Stefani gleaned a bit of Akon's bad-boy allure, while Akon demonstrated that he can behave himself in mixed company.
Performing beneath a pair of shackled forearms that looked oddly like gilded drumsticks (and backed by a drummer and bassist and recorded tracks), Akon both flaunted and repented his criminal past, establishing his street cred and his desire to move beyond it.
It wasn't drug dealing but dirty dancing that prompted the exit of the tour's former sponsor, Verizon. It made for the hills after after cultural watchdogs howled about a widely circulated Trinidad concert video of Akon rapidly thrusting against a female fan who turned out to be underage.
At the Tweeter, Akon still sang about strippers, but it was he who removed his shirt, to the audible approval of the overwhelmingly female crowd. Was he a lover or a player? He let listeners decide, leaving them to fill in the blank on "I Wanna Love You," which goes by another, more carnally direct name on the uncensored album.
It seemed like an even split between those who wanted to take him home to meet their parents and those who just wanted to take him home. Akon's lyrics might not meet some definitions of family fare, but that didn't stop numerous preteen girls from mouthing every word, which made his tales of prison life seem as harmless as a clown at a birthday party. Perhaps what he needs is not fewer underage girls in his audience, but more of them.
Clad in spangled jailhouse stripes, Stefani emerged from a gilded cage and spent the rest of her set flexing her freedoms. Liberated from No Doubt (she promises that a new record with them is forthcoming) and backed by a six-piece band, Stefani has gleefully trampled her way through clattering dance-pop and grandiose power ballads on her two solo albums.
It's clear she's having the time of her life - during her final bows, she bounced and clapped her hands as if she'd just been given a pony - and the sense of fun is infectious. It's too bad about the songs, which remain grating and unfocused no matter how vigorous their presentation. Stefani, who at one point dolled herself up as a pastry chef, should know that even the most decadent cake can't be all frosting.
For The Inquirer
Aggressively masculine and militantly girly, hip-hop singer Akon and pop princess Gwen Stefani make an unlikely duo. He croons about his time in jail; she crafts rhythmic, often sung-spoken odes to her own fabulousness. But their pairing at the Tweeter Center on Thursday worked to both performers' advantage. Stefani gleaned a bit of Akon's bad-boy allure, while Akon demonstrated that he can behave himself in mixed company.
Performing beneath a pair of shackled forearms that looked oddly like gilded drumsticks (and backed by a drummer and bassist and recorded tracks), Akon both flaunted and repented his criminal past, establishing his street cred and his desire to move beyond it.
It wasn't drug dealing but dirty dancing that prompted the exit of the tour's former sponsor, Verizon. It made for the hills after after cultural watchdogs howled about a widely circulated Trinidad concert video of Akon rapidly thrusting against a female fan who turned out to be underage.
At the Tweeter, Akon still sang about strippers, but it was he who removed his shirt, to the audible approval of the overwhelmingly female crowd. Was he a lover or a player? He let listeners decide, leaving them to fill in the blank on "I Wanna Love You," which goes by another, more carnally direct name on the uncensored album.
It seemed like an even split between those who wanted to take him home to meet their parents and those who just wanted to take him home. Akon's lyrics might not meet some definitions of family fare, but that didn't stop numerous preteen girls from mouthing every word, which made his tales of prison life seem as harmless as a clown at a birthday party. Perhaps what he needs is not fewer underage girls in his audience, but more of them.
Clad in spangled jailhouse stripes, Stefani emerged from a gilded cage and spent the rest of her set flexing her freedoms. Liberated from No Doubt (she promises that a new record with them is forthcoming) and backed by a six-piece band, Stefani has gleefully trampled her way through clattering dance-pop and grandiose power ballads on her two solo albums.
It's clear she's having the time of her life - during her final bows, she bounced and clapped her hands as if she'd just been given a pony - and the sense of fun is infectious. It's too bad about the songs, which remain grating and unfocused no matter how vigorous their presentation. Stefani, who at one point dolled herself up as a pastry chef, should know that even the most decadent cake can't be all frosting.
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