My 'Recovery' Review (Revised) - 4.5/5

[EminemBase]

Okay so I posted a review a while back, it was quickly written, left out a little detail and rated Recovery 5/5. That was... Days after I'd heard the album, now having the album set in for a lot longer - I still love it, still think it will eventually go down as a classic but I've re-rated it 4.5/5 for now, that feels about right to me.

Anyway, here's the new review...

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To say this album is an important benchmark in Eminem's career would be an understatement of gross measures. When Eminem first came to prominence, he charged out the gates with three classic albums in a row. Not only did he come out with three undeniable hip-hop classics but they all bettered each other, each building upon the last, each an evolution in his artistry. Then he came to a standstill, with Encore. It was by his own admission, not up to par. It was by far his weakest offering and very much a mixed bag. It seemed as if he was trying to please everybody but ended up pleasing nobody.

Four and a half years later, came Relapse. Now personally, I love Relapse. It's by no means his best album but my goodness; it's a wondrous display in meticulous lyricism and breathtaking delivery. With Relapse, Em strung a truckload of phonetically appealing words up inside a vocabulary yo-yo, inside a horrorcore casing, wound it up and flung it ferociously out of control, over haunting beats, with tongue-twisting delivery. But many felt the album failed in its style and subject matter. The now infamous accent experimentation(s) were in fact the only true issue for most. But irrespective of taste, it certainly was a strange choice of presentation for a comeback album and with all considerations taken into account, another small dent in Marshall’s otherwise impeccable portfolio.

So you see... Recovery really had to be an undeniable presence. It had to seriously flaunt spectacular lyrical and musical gusto in your face at all costs to avoid yet another fumble, at a very crucial point. The good news is Recovery does all that and more. What's the bad news...? Why does there have to be any, don't be presumptuous. Metaphors, punch-lines, concepts, introspection, self-deprecation... This album has it all. It succeeds it its attempt to bundle every appealing and enjoyable aspect of Eminem into one powerhouse of an album in a very unique way. It may not have as much edgy irony as The Slim Shady LP, as much brain-crushing originality as The Marshall Mathers LP or quite as much focused sound as The Eminem Show. But don’t let that deter you into thinking it’s no match for these albums. Em being a victim of his own past brilliance, by means of comparison, certainly is tough to ignore. But Recovery manages to sprinkle elements of Eminem we’re already aware of throughout, as well as showcase new shades of Shady to stew on.

We hear Em passionately tear his way through seventeen tracks of glory until his throat is hoarse. He's relentless, aggressive, unapologetic, humble, apologetic, humbling, hilarious, graphic, horrible, poetic, self-aware, silly and almost every other adjective currently in circulation in the English dictionary, all at once. He’s a walking contradiction (like most people, myself included) but he’s fully aware of it and listening to him spin this with an impressive range of imagination, lyrical innovation and childlike petulance is a joy. He’s not just aware of it but he relishes in it, he ramps it up, he contradicts himself on purpose. This is a fact which goes over the head of many critics, with them perceiving it as a flaw or inconsistency in his writing as opposed to a credit to his art. Imagine a mesh of The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show but with his new slew of head-spinning flows and a few doses of newfound maturity. This man really can flaunt any style in your face to a degree quite unlike any reputable counterpart and he knows it.

With Encore and even Relapse (to some extent) he seemed to be stuck in a rut between silly and serious. Now, it seems he's able (once again) to blend these and many other elements in a consistent manner. You'll get the expected personal tracks from Em but there's something enticing about them. I had started to somewhat loathe Em's introspection as it had become rather repetitive, redundant and predictable. Though on Recovery, he’s able to do it with a more glistening honesty. Listen as he effortlessly lays bare his thoughts on tracks like “Talkin’ 2 Myself” and “Going Through Changes”. Making great use of a Black Sabbath sample on the latter. There's no easy to swallow nonsense for easy consumption, it’s clear and definitive. He admits all his faults in typical Oprah fashion. How many other rappers would declare their last album in the trash and admit they're a desperate loner? Not many that's how many. Eminem is a rarity and it makes for extremely satisfying and relatable listening.

Personal odes and self-praising aside, this album is also noteworthy for some conceptual gems. If you go through the track “25 to Life” for the first time thinking it’s about a relationship with a woman (perhaps Kim) you’d be forgiven, as this was his intent, only to reveal the true agenda in the closing lines. It’s somewhat of a striking moment when you hear it and means you have to re-listen to the track to appreciate it in its proper context. Then you have the show stopping brilliance of “Almost Famous”. Perhaps the album’s most powerful track, it’s mighty impressive. It’s also probably my favourite. I've been a little cautious not to reveal too much of the album's content or true stylistic as... Well, for one it would simply take too long, there's so much going on. Also, why have me spoil it for you. Where's the fun in a stranger unwrapping your presents. Even the tracks with more forgettable themes are executed so well that they can't seriously be considered filler.

For me, the only significant flaw of this album is (in parts) the production on some tracks. But it’s by no means bad enough, as some are making it out to be, to be a serious detraction from it as a whole. Em’s lyricism and content is sublime enough to eclipse any faltering on the boards.

In closing, let me just say this... With Recovery Eminem has crafted one of the best albums of his career. I don't want to be premature in ranking it as I'm still not sure but it's definitely up there. You'll listen once and get a shock to the system... Listen a second time; become intrigued. Then listen a third, fourth, fifth and sixth time, just to set you up for the seventh to fiftieth listens. This album is an onion of art and you really do peel away a new layer with each new listen. Not only that but it definitely grows on you. It’s not instant gratification on all accounts. It’s more “Did I really just hear that... Hang on, let me just... Oh, wow”. Leaving aside its place in Em’s discography at this point, it’s safe to say he more than delivered on his promise this time. If only everybody put this much work into their music.

Source: Eminembase.com - track by track coming soon.

[Devil'sAdvocate]

[JamesTaylor]

Thats a real fucking review unlike those fucking hipsters rating Recovery on the net. Production probably prevents this album from being an instant classic, and also a handful of songs that are just good and not great (by Eminems standards).

[electroencephalogram]

Thank Me Later >>>>> Recovery

[JamesTaylor]

Thank Me Later >>>>> Recovery

[EminemBase]

Thank Me Later >>>>> Recovery

... , okay let me... Just, hang on...

[buffalo bill]

Okay so I posted a review a while back, it was quickly written, left out a little detail and rated Recovery 5/5. That was... Days after I'd heard the album, now having the album set in for a lot longer - I still love it, still think it will eventually go down as a classic but I've re-rated it 4.5/5 for now.

Anyway, here's the new review...

I like Recovery a bit less than you do but that's certainly one hell of a review

[M-Pyre]

you've got the ability to glorify an empty can if you wanted to.

[EminemBase]

^ Lmao. Not sure if that's an insult or a compliment but it's funny all the same.

[EminemBase]

what do you rate TES?

(not sure if you said it, CBA to read it)

I'd probably have to give it 5/5. I'm cautious about giving any album a 'perfect' rating in my head but re-thinking the definition of 5/5 to myself I guess it could just be for an undeniable album and not a totally perfect one.

Although TES is as close to perfect as he's come.

[HereHere]

Great review embase

Thank Me Later >>>>> Recovery

Best joke I've heard all day.

[ChronicJon]

Perfect review

[slimsoxshady]

Actually the more i listen to it, the more I think Recovery is THE perfect album

TES has that black hole with Drips, absolutely terrible
MMLP has plenty of holes for me
Tech N9ne's Everready has a hole with Fuck Em Girl
Tech N9ne's Killer has plenty of holes but since it's a double album there's bout 15 great songs
Game's Documentary has a couple of tracks I never got into
Lupe's F&L has a couple annoying tracks in He Say She Say and Instrumental
50's GRODT isn't close to perfect
Luda's Word of Mouf has She Said and Saturday
Tonedeff's Archetype has Politics and Pervert
Carter 3 has Lollipop
All those old school classic albums I just can't get into, sorry

so I just listed some of my favorite albums of all time and they all have holes
Recovery doesn't...I'd rather listen to WTP, WBD, and Untitled anytime before I listen to the above "holes" i listed, and not just because they're fresh because they actually have gotten better

Therefore, Recovery is now officially MY PERFECT album, and it stands alone
5/5
10/10
100/100

....bring the hate

[Lokito4]

Thank Me Later >>>>> Recovery

lmao

[Emadyville]

I gotta move this to shady reviews, and i'll read after my bball game tonight