Marshall Mathers may be well on his way to recovery after “Relapse,” but do people really want to hear about it?
In Eminem’s usual style, “Recovery” is demeaning to women, contains loads of derogatory language, references his daughters and features his unpredictable and often offensive lyrical musings.
Although Eminem may be gifted with superb jargon, “Recovery” takes a very different emotional tone than his previous albums. It’s probably as serious as Mathers could get.
If you can get past the first track “Cold Wind Blows,” you’re in the clear. It’s a noticeable low point for the album due to its ridiculous amount of profanity, and it lacks the thought-provoking subject matter of some of the other singles from the album.
Most of the other tracks are forced and don’t add anything to “Recovery.” “Won’t Back Down” featuring P!nk couldn’t sound more out of place; her forgettable vocals in conjunction with Eminem’s rapping just don’t mesh — the same could be also said for the Lil’ Wayne and Rihanna collaborations. But because of the collaborators’ popularity, you will most likely hear the clean versions of these tracks on Top 40 radio, which is a shame because they’re entirely undeserving.
The highlight of the album is “Talkin’ 2 Myself” featuring Kobe. It has complementary vocals to Eminem’s rapping and is further augmented by electronic instrumentals and Kobe’s silky vocals. It makes the song interesting and compelling while adding a different feel compared to Eminem’s previous efforts.
By the end of this album, all of the tracks sound the same. Eminem may be in Recovery, but his progress as a musician couldn’t be further back.