Album Review: Eminem-Recovery

Ever since I heard Eminem for the first time about 7-8 years ago I knew he was something special. His first couple of records The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP are among the best rap records of all time. Recently though Eminem has been coming up short. Encore was very weak and Relapse had its moments but it got worse on each listen. Recovery sadly continues the decline in quality in his albums.

The main problem with Recovery is just how weak the material is. I understand that he is trying to make postive material for the most part but its way too sappy and it feels extremely forced. Plus when your bring guest artists like Rihanna and Lil Wayne in you know there is a severe problem. Eminem just went off the deep end and I honestly don't think any of the ideas on this record were even his. For example the song with Lil Wayne "No Love" features a sample of the song "What Is Love" made famous by the film, "A Night At The Roxbury" and has Lil Wayne dropping another of his many ingenous rhymes "Lets fuck the world, get a kid out of her". The main problem is the song is supposed to be dead serious then it drops that sample and then add Lil Wayne's terrible lyrics and flow it turns into a complete joke. Another glaring issue is the album when can't decide on a tone. On the albums biggest dud "W.T.P" he tries to recapture the humor of his past albums. Eminem raps at a blistering pace in a voice that is stupider than anything on his past record Relapse and the song is really just a complete mess. The one shining moment on this record is "Going Through Changes" which samples Black Sabbath and is the only time on the whole record where old Eminem shines through.

This album is just such a huge letdown. When you have a talent like Eminem and he make something so weak and just unlike him its like a punch in the face to his fans. Sure some people will eat it up just because it is a new Eminem record but I really expected more of him. Hopefully he hasn't offically sold out and can come back with a great record. Eminem needs to go back to the old-school, stop working with shit producers,go back to work with Dr.Dre and no one but Dr.Dre and bring in guests that are actually good instead of just who is insanely popular at the moment.

2/5 Stars

Standout Track

1.Going Through Changes