Album Review: Eminem, Recovery

I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Last May, when Eminem returned from a five-year exile and released Relapse, everyone hailed it as a masterpiece. I begged to differ. It wasn’t bad – it was a little above average – but his bizarre accents and usual gripes about his mom and drugs were played out.


When tracks for Recovery began to leak, the Internet again went nuts, proclaiming greatness. After hearing a few songs, I wasn’t impressed and expected another letdown.


But after listening to the entire album I realized just how wrong I was.


Recovery is the album Eminem should have released as part of his comeback last year. Finally, after years of tales of fake serial killings and taking pot shots at defenseless pop stars, Em has matured.


Look no further than the first single, “Not Afraid.” Usually, Eminem’s lead singles are goofy songs dissing his peers. Not this time. “Not Afraid” exorcises his demons – denouncing his drug addiction, admitting that his post hiatus work wasn’t always up to par (“Let’s be honest/that last Relapse CD was ehhh….”) and reaffirming his commitment to his music and kids.


Another big change is the lack of Em’s partner in crime Dr. Dre. The Doc only shows up for one track – the typically silly “So Bad” – and leaves the bulk of the production to others. It’s initially a little jarring to here Eminem on something other than Dr. Dre’s beats, but you’ll applaud the new direction when you hear the sinister “Seduction” from Boi-1da.


DJ Khalil is probably the album’s MVP, concocting hits like “25 to Life,” which starts out sounding like Em is yet again dissing his ex-wife Kim but morphs into something much deeper, and “Almost Famous,” a sort of road map to stardom.


A lot of critics gave Just Blaze a hard time for the lazily sampling Haddaway’s “What Is Love” on “No Love,” but I think the track is just fine, despite a sluggish Lil Wayne verse. Just fires back against the haters with the biting “Cold Wind Blows,” where Em just goes on a lyrical rampage.


As I mentioned above, I wasn’t in love with a couple of the tracks that leaked early. Rihanna, as usual, ruins yet ANOTHER song, screeching like an alley cat all over “Love The Way You Lie.” Look for it on a radio station near you. The hook on “Space Bound” is no treat either. “So Bad” and “WTP” – short for White Trash Party – are OK, but it’s the usual silly Eminem fare that was edgy in 1999 but is unimpressive a decade later.


But before you write Em off as regressing, he hits us with “You’re Never Over,” a powerful tribute to his fallen partner Proof. I was shocked that Em made only a passing mention of his friend’s murder on his last album. But here, his tribute is full of visceral, real emotion, vowing to make himself a better man in memory of his friend.


Eminem has grown up, and this time he truly deserves the accolades.






Best tracks: “Seduction,” “Cold Wind Blows,” “25 to Life”


4 stars out of 5