Eminem - Winnipeg Free Press
Eminem / Recovery
(Interscope/Universal)
AFTER the thrown-together and largely forgettable Relapse album last year — and having finally conquered his personal demons — Recovery is the Detroit-born MC’s most self-aware album yet.
Like The Motor City, Marshall Mathers is reinventing and re-envisioning himself, and that comes across most evidently on Not Afraid. Eminem sings “I’m not afraid to take a stand. Everybody, Everybody take my hand. We’ll walk this road together.” This is in stark contrast to the cartoonish, video-ready, pop cultural referencing tracks that used to anchor his albums.
While those name checks still come up, this is a major leap forward for Eminem. He has always been a skilled storyteller; it just seems now he’s spending more time focusing on real experiences. He may be still figuring out who he is as an MC, father and person, but at least he has decided he can leave behind some of the things he did in the past and is putting his life together track by track.
On Talkin’ 2 Myself (featuring Kobe), he proclaims “I finally feel like I am back to me, I finally feel normal.” While Eminem’s lyrics always had personal elements to them, this may be the first time they actually mean something.
With Recovery, there is no doubt Eminem is back in the game.
4 stars
