Global rating of the product: lyrically: 4 stars
instrumentally:2,5 stars
Since the release of Relapse, Eminem’s music has taken a new artistic direction. More introspective, Marshall Mathers decided to give his public a glimpse of the real him. No more evil Slim Shady disguise, no other character to spit his rage on Recovery.
The very positive point of the whole album is certainly the return of the talented lyricist. As a matter of fact, many listeners had felt left down by the artist since the release of Encore that did not really meet the standarts that you’d usually expect from a good hip hop album.
Relapse was quite surprising in its concept: Eminem took the risk for his album to be overlooked in its depth, even by die-hard fans. It nearly happened to me, but after a second listen I discovered Eminem’s artistic intent. I thus became more appreciative of his lyrical and musical effort in Relapse.
From Infinite to Recovery, Marshall Mathers offers his audience a long path made of personal experiences and reflexions. Wordsmith Eminem always was and will stay.
Not Afraid embraces a powerful violin background while Eminem faces his public with sincerity. Of course it cost Marshall Mathers a lot to face his demons, to admit his mistakes during his career path. The song unleashes loads of dynamite. It is probably one of the best songs of the album. Eminem also promises not to let his fans dow. However, and despite the huge lyrical efforts set on his brand new album, we are entitled to ask: “Who are Eminem’s fans at the moment?” Undoubtably, they are probably not the same kind of people than the ones that supported the artist a decade ago (with a few exceptions, of course). It can be partly explained by the fact that the different albums’ tones and topics vary from album to album. A lot of Slim Shady LP and Marshall Mathers LP listeners actually think that Eminem lost his edge. Well, while I am a long term, adult fan and supporter of Eminem’s music and also very appreciative of the artist’s lyrical effort, I must admit that- musically speaking- the Recovery album barely meets my expectations. Where have the catchy beats gone, where have the mischievousness and the dark humored spirit of his former albums gone?
Too many metal and rock’n roll influences spoil too many songs in my opinion. While it is true that many hip hop artists used diverse varieties of other musical genres to compose their albums,their album’s main musical base remained mostly hip hop sounding.
Moreover, Recovery’s mood is morose and constantly self depreciating.
Cold Wind Blows starts with some icy lyrics. Eminem’s voice hits high notes. Dark guitar and piano sounds are combined with rhythmic claps. Em’s generous word mastery enlighten the song. Good flow too. This is another good song.
Talking To Myself: Time for instrospection on a keyboard background. I don’t understand why Eminem admits envying Lil Wayne and Kanye. He has nothing to envy massive commercial hip hop album sellers such as them. Maybe I would have preferred a wicked diss of both emcees. I probably would have felt better.
Won’t Back Down features pop artist Pink. Eminem excels in his art of rhyming. Unfortunately, the harsh musical background kinda spoils the well written song. I like Eminem’s flow on this one.
Going Through Changes is made of a soft bitter chorus. Marshall Mathers recalls pains and regrets, ancient memories, regrets about family life that didn’t really work out. The song’s tone is quite depressing. Why is Eminem crucifying himself all the time?
He can see clear in his life, realizes his mistakes, but I am not sure he is ready to fully accept himself the way he is. Get rid of this heavy self laceration and you’ll feel better, for sure!
On Fire is one of the tracks I enjoyed most-lyrically and instrumentally as well. However, when Eminem addresses critics, he seems to really miss the point. Why would he ask them to spit rhymes? A critic is there whether to point out a positive or a negative opinion 5or both) aboutr an artist’s work, in order to share some constructyive criticism with his readers and the artist. To each his/ her own: let the artist create and let the critic do his/ her job! This little point being raised, the song is great: good beats, nice chorus, nice instrumentals, nice flow, astute punchlines: in short, Eminem at his top. I recommend this song.
I’ve been disappointed by Cinderella Man and No Love. They are definitely not my type of songs. Eminem really good on Love the Way You Lie, but I don’t like the Rihanna chorus at all. It spoils the song in my opinion.
Globally speaking Eminem’s efforts to be closer to his fans, his lyrical craft, his matured analysis of his personal mistakes really need to be appreciated. That’s why I chose to rate my review differently. A little bit disappointed by the instrumentals and musical genres that are used in the album, I nevertheless still admire Eminem’s lyrical genius.
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
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