Hip-Hop's Antidote: Recovery Review

There are very few hip-hop legends left today, meaning that there are only one or two albums released by them each year. Fortunately, Slim Shady is one of them, and he's back once again to reign terror on mothers and any hip-hop haters.

Or is he? With Eminem's latest single, "Not Afraid", he sounds like a changed man. Does this mean we will see a wiser, more classy Shady? Is this the end of the old Eminem as we know him?

If "Not Afraid" scared you, breathe a sigh of relief and recover. Eminem's Recovery is still hard-hitting, just not as hard as his previous albums, including Relapse. The opening track off of Recovery, "Cold Wind Blows", is the old Eminem at his best. For starters, the beat is fantastic for his delivery here. It resembles something you would hear on Relapse, but much better. Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, blows this track away lyrically, adding elements that made him so successful. There's humor such as the line "I set the world on fire, piss on it and put it out" and others that are creative, for instance "So butt the buddha light a bong but take a look at Mariah next time I inspire you to write a song come on."

As strong as the opening track was, Mathers follows it with a forgettable one. "Talkin' 2 Myself (ft. Kobe)" will sound good the first run through, but after, it quickly loses its luster. The production is done by DJ Khaled here, who actually produces multiple tracks on this album. Although Khaled can produce memorable beats at times, the one here is not one of his best. The guest appearance of Kobe is also a mistake by Slim. We've come to expect hardcore hip-hop from Eminem by this point, not a song made for an apology, which is exactly what it is. Are the lyrics well developed? Yes, but they're ones that apply to the current time and will die within the year.

"On Fire" gets the album back on track with a strong, slower beat that suits Slim well. He also sounds angry again, which is a good thing. What's weird is that this song would've fit perfectly on Relapse, just as the first one. There are few other tracks on the album that follow this pattern, but it shouldn't be a surprise. Remember, the original plan was for the album to be released last year and under the name Relapse 2. "Won't Back Down" continues the momentum for Shady with a little help from his guest, Pink. This was a brilliant move by Mathers as Pink is a rebel herself. She adds a pop element but also keeps the song rough. Mathers drops a few good verses on this and the song flows well. I'm willing to bet this will be the second single of the album, and I hope it is. It would go down as one of Em's best singles if that happens.

One of the things that Eminem should deserve a great deal of credit for is his lack of guest artists on this album. He has two guest appearances in the first four songs, but only two more in the next 12. This is a breath of fresh air, as many MC's have been getting "guest happy" lately. This is also Eminem's sixth album, so he doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. Yet, he probably feels he does, something that separates him from rappers such as Lil Wayne or 50 Cent.

The Slim Shady train gains speed with the fifth track "W.T.P." and hits full throttle on the song "Going Through Changes". "W.T.P." is a great song to bounce to and it could become a hit being played through clubs soon. Just because it's got a club feel, doesn't mean it's not good lyrically though. Slim describes in great detail different party/club scenes, something that can be humorous and fun to listen to. There's a quick change of pace when "Going Through Changes" comes on. However, you won't want to skip it, because its the best song on the album.

Where to start here? First off, you'll notice that the chorus is a sample from Black Sabbath's "Changes" which is brilliant. The guitar in the background, accompanied by rain, makes for a powerful and moving track. The production is great, but Eminem is even better with his delivery. His verses complement the beat very well and his tone, which is more laid back, just fits. The song begins with Em contemplating rather he should get high or do pills to him being in the hospital to him promising to make changes. Unlike "Talkin' 2 Myself", this sounds much more real and from the heart. Just read the lines from the second verse:

My friends just can't understand this new me,
That's understandable man, but just think how bananas you'd be,
You'd be an animal too, if you were trapped in this fame and caged in it like a zoo.
And everybody's lookin' at you, what you want me to do,
I'm startin' to live like a recluse and the truth is,
Fame startin' to give me an excuse, to be at a all time low.
I sit alone in my home theatre, watchin' the same damn DVD,
Of the first tour, the last tour, he was still alive.
And it hurt sore, fast forward, sleepin' pills'll make me feel alright.
And if I'm still awake in the middle of the night, I just take a couple more, yeah you're motherfuckin' right, I ain't slowin' down for no one, I am almost homeward bound.
Almost in a coma, yeah homie come on, don't look now,
Daddy, don't you die on me, daddy, better hold your ground.
Fuck, don't I know the sound of that voice,
Yeah baby hold me down.

This song is one of his best in a long time and it succeeds where "Beautiful" (his attempt to be emotionally moving on Relapse) failed.

It's a shame then that "Not Afraid" follows this. Many may say that this is a great track and its so moving, but after listening to "Going Through Changes", it's not nearly as powerful. Understandably, Mathers had to make a few songs that had a more pop feel to help album sales. "Not Afraid" however, is still the weakest single on the album, as I will explain a little later.

"Seduction" is right after "Not Afraid" and is, again, a track that sounds like it was made for Relapse. It discusses Slim's ability to, you guessed it, seduce women. This is a filler track, and so is the one that follows it. "No Love (ft. Lil Wayne)" uses a well-known sample, "What is Love", but that's about the only highlight. Pairing Wayne with Eminem is a mistake, as much as Slim will try and defend it. The old Eminem would've NEVER let this happen. With changes to Em lately though, he decided to try it. The chorus is sung by Em, which was another misstep. The only way from saving this song from being a disaster is his Em's verse, a verse that he lyrically destroys.

Fortunately, Mathers delivers the next track "Space Bound". This could be a single, but it would be a damn good one. The beat has a spacey feel and its a very chill one to kick back to. Surprisingly, Mathers comes out hard instead of a more laid back delivery like the one on "Going Through Changes". The verses aren't as long as most of the tracks on the album, but they don't lack depth. It talks about how Em has become a person who doesn't trust others and how he's had "an emotional hole in his heart" for some time. This may be referring to his family problems or his childhood. Regardless, it's another hit just waiting to happen for Slim.

The next song, "Cinderella Man", is another filler and you won't spend much time on it. Which brings you to "25 to Life". Another song that uses guitar, as well as piano, it's really well produced and the story is very deep. It's about Em's ex, the infamous Kim, and for once, he doesn't talk about killing her. Instead, he raps about how he tried to stay faithful to her and how she never appreciated the effort he gave. This is a song that the old Slim would've never made. However, this is a also a song that I think needed to be made, and I'm glad Em has finally cleared up this past demon of his. It is one you will be able to replay a lot too, which is always a good thing.

Dr. Dre makes his return to producing for Eminem on "So Bad". It's not the strongest song on the album, but it's still a good one. Dre and Em have always been a great combo and any of the old Eminem fans will love this track. "Almost Famous" has an interesting beat that will take some time to grow on people. The good thing though, is that the first verse is hilarious and the rest of the song follows suit. There's a line about Ben Roethlisberger, Austin Powers, and even Abraham Lincoln. It is a song that still proves that Slim shows no mercy and lyrically, it's genius. The chorus is the only thing that hurts the track, but it's definitely worth a listen.

Remember that guitar tied into the beats that I've been mentioning? It's back on "Love the Way You Lie (ft. Rihanna)". If you're a hardcore Slim fan, you will probably detest this song to no end. Lyrically though, it's really not that bad. In fact, Em has some good lines here that you won't usually hear from him. Check out these lines from the third verse:

Now I know we said things, did things, that we didn't mean
And we fall back into the same patterns, same routine
But your temper's just as bad as mine is, you're the same as me
When it comes to love you're just as blinded

Rihanna works well as a guest here too, making this another successful "poppy" track for Em.

The final track is well produced and the lyrics aren't bad, but somebody really needs to tell Eminem to stop singing. I praised Eminem for the lack of guests earlier, but this is a track that needed one to do the chorus. It's a song that doesn't have much replay value and it's unfortunate that it ends the album. If Em hit one home run way out of the park on Relapse, it was his closer "Underground", which left many listeners with chills. Em probably should have spent more time on developing a stronger conclusion to the album, but it won't be a huge black mark at the end of the day.

Recovery has its high points and low ones, like many albums today. There are some of Eminem's best songs on this album, such as "Going Through Changes", "Cold Wind Blows", and "25 to Life". There are more memorable and stronger tracks here than Encore and Relapse combined. However, Shady has some major errors on Recovery. "Not Afraid" and "No Love" really hurt this album in the long run. Em clearly can make singles that are much stronger than "Not Afraid" after listening to "Won't Back Down (ft. Pink)", "Space Bound", or "Love the Way You Lie (ft. Rihanna)". These tracks, along with a few other fillers, prevent it from achieving the status of his first three albums (Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers, The Eminem Show). Did those albums have fillers too? Yes, but even as fillers, they were much better than the ones presented on Recovery.

Overall, this is an album that any Eminem or hip-hop fan must pick up. It's the best solo rap album to be released yet this year. It also will give Slim some big praise because it's a step in a different direction for the trouble MC. On a personal level, I was very hesitant to listen to this album after hearing "Not Afraid". I worried that Slim was throwing away everything that made him unique and one of the best. He blew my expectations away however, once I listened to this a few times through. Will Recovery catapult Eminem to one of the top 3 or 4 MCs ever? No, but it will help him nonetheless. If he wasn't considered one of the top 6 or 7 MCs of all time before this, he should be now. Recovery is hip-hop medicine for the mainstream, something we should all thank Mr. Mathers for.

Recovery (* indicates definitely worth a listen)
1. Cold Wind Blows*
2. Talkin' 2 Myself (ft. Kobe)
3. On Fire
4. Won't Back Down (ft. Pink)
5. W.T.P.
6. Going Through Changes*
7. Not Afraid
8. Seduction
9. No Love
10. Space Bound*
11. Cinderella Man
12. 25 to Life*
13. So Bad
14. Almost Famous
15. Love the Way You Lie (ft. Rihanna)
16. You're Never Older

OVERALL - 4 out of 5 stars