Eminem Strikes Back With 'Recovery'

by: D. Reid

If you have been let down or disappointed by the last few efforts by Eminem, don't count him out just yet. 'Recovery' is, in my opinion, probably one of the best albums since his debut, if not the best of his entire career. Gone are the immature pop hits that have occupied his albums since Encore (Deluxe Edition). In their place are really deep songs that aren't really hardcore rap or hip-hop but certainly aren't weak, forgettable pop songs that made it onto his album in the past. On a few tracks of 'Recovery' he acknowledges that his past efforts, especially 'Relapse', weren't that great. He also states that with 'Recovery' he wanted to raise the bar and return with something that would silence his critics and reassure his fans that he was back to true form and better than ever. In my opinion, 'Recovery' does just that. It's a deep and personal album but better produced than Relapse and features some of his best lyrics and raps. If you thought Eminem had lost his edge, give this album a listen because I think it's clear that he found it again. 

The Good: For me, what makes 'Recovery' such a great album is how personal it is. There are a lot of tracks that deal with his personal demons such as his toxic relationship with his ex wife, the death of his close friend, his inability to deal with fame, his addictions. Unlike with 'Relapse' that seemed to lack any real feeling or personality, this time around he holds nothing back and combines revealing lyrics with some great beats that gave the album a real epic feel, starting with "Cold Wind Blows" where he starts off the album proclaiming his return and striking out at some of his adversaries and critics (including, of course, Mariah Carey) and the album ventures into personal territory from there. "Talkin' To Myself" shows off a different side of Eminem as he reveals his insecurities and admits that he envied the rise of rappers like Lil Wayne and Kanye West and wanted to tear them down just because he was starting to fall off his pedestal. He goes so far as to apologize to them for wanting to rip them, which seems very mature and new for an artist who used to go after everyone and anything in the past that irked him even in the slightest. "Going Through Changes" is a track where he admits he needed help and that he had issues with addictions; "Space Bound" deals with his fears of being alone and isolated and how those fears impact his relationships with others; "25 to Life" uses the metaphor of a relationship gone sour with a woman to describe his relationship with hip-hop. There are also some upbeat/triumphant tracks such as "You're Never Over" where he eulogizes and celebrates the life of his friend Proof and is able to turn a dark situation into motivation to go on and accomplish big things; "Cinderella Man" features a boastful, proud Eminem who proclaims that mediocrity isn't acceptable in his career anymore; "No Love" deals with him getting over being dissed and ignored by a woman he loves and how he won't let her actions bring him down. There are definitely a wide variety of emotions at play on 'Recovery' that shows off Eminem's insecurities, issues and his strengths and makes for a great listen overall. 

The Bad: A few tracks didn't work as well for me and disturbed the flow of the album. "Won't Back Down" featuring P!nk sounds like an attempt at rock and a freestyle session - it was okay but I had no desire to listen to it again after hearing it for the first time. "Seduction" and "On Fire" felt like filler tracks. There are a few tracks, such as "W.T.P." (white trash party) and "Seduction" where Eminem tries to be flirtatious and attractive through lyrics and it just felt awkward and out of place. 

In all, the number of good tracks with depth, feeling and good production definitely outweighs the weaker tracks. I was really impressed by this effort from Eminem and have had over half of the album on repeat. This is definitely worth checking out and worth purchasing. 

Listen To These: "25 to Life", "Going Through Changes", "You're Never Over", "Space Boud", "No Love"