Recovery – Eminem
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June 10, 2010 • Jake Barnes
Filed under Entertainment, Music, Top Stories
9.5 out of 10
In his second album of the year, Eminem kick starts his old ways of rage and destruction that pushed some historic singles, for example The Marshall Mathers LP’s “Kill You,” into number ones. “Not Afraid,” the first single off of “Recovery,” and “Cinderella Man” emphasize that this isn’t like his previous album “Relapse,” as he never wants to go back to that album.
The album begins strongly with the fiery “Cold Wind Blows” that pushes back anyone who has doubted his works in the past, working in his infamous pop culture references that were so influential in most of his radio hits, i.e. “The Real Slim Shady.” However he attempts, slightly unsuccessfully, to keep away from his ridiculous, humorous accent.
With every Eminem album, guest voices play a big role in the flow of this album, with the inevitable Lil Wayne and Rihanna spots, but the fourth track exposes a pleasant surprise with the appearance from pop icon P!nk, entitled “Won’t Back Down.” Unlike a listener would suspect, P!nk brings a certain rage that does more than support this track, but with the theme of social control. “Won’t Back Down” creates a burning anger that we haven’t seen from Eminem, or P!nk for that matter.
Lil Wayne’s featured track “No Love” samples Haddaway’s historic “What is Love,” and includes a delayed Kanye West stage jumping joke that slips right in with the lyrics, but this track feels more like it belongs on a Lil Wayne album, featuring Weezy as much as the sampled Haddaway track.
As the “Recovery” progresses, Mathers seems to get angrier and angrier, with a voice that shreds like a chainsaw in “Almost Famous.” But with the album almost over, Rihanna makes her appearance with not only her voice but a piano based track that calms Eminem to the slowest of the entire album, with a more meaningful tone from each singer’s voice, on “Love The Way You Lie”.
“Recovery” ends with that last good bye that Mathers just can’t leave out of an album, as we see with “The Eminem Show’s” smash hit “My Dad’s Gone Crazy” leading into the sound bite “Curtains Close.” But after the final track boasts bagpipes and Eminem announcing, “nah man. not quite finished yet,” leading into the wrap-up hidden track, “Here We Go,” it proves itself as worthy of a nearly perfect album, only missing the lovable pop hit that Mathers has been working out of his albums, i.e. “My Name Is” or even Relapse’s “We Made You.”
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