Eminem’s Full ‘Recovery’

After a long absence, many fans expected Eminem to return with a bang, with his “Relapse” album that was released last year. However, what they got was a disappointing record with tremendous beats from the great Dr. Dre, but poor and repetitive lyrics with cheesy accents from Eminem. This time around, Slim Shady returns one year later with “Recovery,” which is unique from his previous records, with new sounds that display his brilliance as an artist.

If you were expecting the Slim Shady alter ego from his first two albums, “The Slim Shady LP” and “The Marshall Mathers LP,” you will not get him on this latest record. What you get is Eminem’s softer side, as he displays lyrics from the heart to go along with several hardcore and funny punch lines that impress. Overall, it’s a  new style that works.

With that being said, “Recovery” is much different then Eminem’s previous albums. A major difference is that the album does not have any skits. There will be many fans that will be disappointed because of this, and others feeling the total opposite. Another change this record displays is that it involves a different amount of producers, such as Dr. Dre, Just Blaze and many more. Reminiscent to Jay-Z’s “The Black Album,” the different beats give “Recovery” the juice that makes it stand out. This album does have many catchy tracks based on the chorus alone.

The album gets off to a great start with the first track entitled “Cold Wind Blows,” displaying explicit and funny punch lines by Eminem that take shots at some new celebrities like Brooke Hogan and, yes, Michael J. Fox. (Big shocker, right?) Other songs that stand out are “No Love” featuring Lil Wayne, where a sample of “What Is Love” from “A Night at the Roxbury” is displayed as the chorus, making it one of the best songs on the album, not by the brilliant beat alone but by an intense and spine-chilling verse by Eminem.

“Space Bound” is a song that has a rock sound to it, but the chorus and snare drum give it the flare to be one of the catchiest songs on the album. “Like the Way You Lie” featuring Rhianna is one of those songs that makes you want to turn up your stereo due to the impressive chorus. It is one of those tracks that you and your girlfriend would cruise to in your car while the wind is blowing in your face. “You’re Never Over” is one of those tracks that will leave you shedding a tear or two, with a chilling beat and fantastic lyrics that Eminem dedicates to his best friend, Proof, who was recently killed. An emotional song that was put together brilliantly by Eminem, “You’re Never Over” is definitely one of the most creative and heartwarming tracks that Eminem has ever made.

A few tracks that were not very enjoyable include “So Bad,” which displays a weak beat and weaker lyrics that just did not flow like the other songs on the album. “Won’t Back Down” featuring Pink was another song that did not have that sizzle that would have you bobbing your head. The song displayed a beat that was too loud and out of rhythm, and the lyrics seemed to be repetitive, as several words were mentioned more than once during the song.

Overall, “Recovery” is a great effort from Eminem. His ability to change his sound was very impressive. One thing that’s for sure is that hip-hop fans from the late ‘90s would find this album to be as good as his previous works, because they are used to the more outrageous side with constant explicit lyrics, but the fans from this era would beg to differ, and find this album to be great because of the creative differences he decided to use for this album by making different sounds, and making the songs more catchy by the chorus displayed in each song alone. With that said, “Recovery” is worth the wait and definitely the purchase. The Slim Shady of old might not be in the spotlight, but Eminem is definitely back.