Review by Josh Felty
Rating: *****
Tracks of Note: Love the Way You Lie, No Love
Eminem is one of the greatest recording artists of our time, despite what you or I may think or how much we grovel about his reputation. I think half of his personality is real, the other half hyped up for the sake of selling music and concert tickets. I remember the first time I heard him, back after the first album The Slim Shady LP came out; and I recall the summer The Marshall Mathers LP was released. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing "Stan" and Dido's chorus part belting over car speakers far and wide. The past couple of albums (Encore, etc.) have really eluded me--perhaps because I really don't listen to hip-hop as much as I used to in my late teens/early twenties. I've moved on, my musical tastes have changed, and so on.
But with his latest, Recovery, the Great White Rapper has picked up his career from near obscurity and mockery (wasn't there a point where some tabloid shot pics of Em at about 250 pounds or something?) and is perhaps just as angry and acidic as he was on The Marshall Mathers LP, yet without so much cultural blamegaming and parody. The songs on Recovery speak from the heart and rarely venture into as harsh territory as previous releases with catchy pop singles "Love the Way You Lie" and "25 to Life" leading the way with the collaborative female singer element thrown in for good measure. Hey, it worked with Dido, why not Rihanna? There are also plenty of collaborations with other rappers, Lil Wayne being one of them--and of course, Dr. Dre's production work shines through with some assistance from Alexa da Kid.
Overall, Eminem's latest is a triumphant assortment of personal, emotional songs. Blast it over your stereo speakers, turn up the bass, and take a cruise with this bad-boy of an album