EMINEM - Recovery

Titles, sometimes, say a lot. Though perhaps not everything. In the case of Eminem, after the "relapse" ("Relapse") comes the "recovery" ("Recovery"). With this auspicious formula so dear to politicians and economists worldwide – but which also fits music and record-industry analysts perfectly – the malevolent genie of 313 pokes his head out of the lamp for the second time in a year. Whether it's just superstition (the album was supposed to be called "Relapse 2", effectively being the second half of its predecessor, but another "relapse", given his history, would hardly have been a good omen) or whether old Marshall, nearly forty, genuinely believes he can pull his declining rap-rockstar trajectory back up to the level of the two masterful "Lp"s, there's no way to know. Nor does listening to and judging this latest effort provide a definitive answer. Sure, while not entirely sharing the author's optimism, it must be said that there are indeed some steps forward compared to the disappointing "Relapse". But we still remain mired in a game of clichés and self-references that add little new to the career of a great multimedia artist (at least in potential) who could still give much more to music if only he decided to make a clean break with the past. This, however, is mostly just a fixation of mine. For now, let's stick to the facts.

Which are more or less as follows. On "Relapse" it was the "evil twin" Shady who stepped into the arena and monopolized attention, trying to reconnect, in a desperate U-turn, with the horror-tinged, circus-flavored rap comedy of his glorious early days. On "Recovery" the production turns poppier and more polished – with Dre in the bland role of executive producer and old hands like Jim Jonsin, Dj Khalil, Supa Dups and Just Blaze handling the beats – the chunky rhythms and more prominent guitars highlight the rocky side (evident in the samples: "Changes" by Black Sabbath, "Drive" by Rem, "Cry Little Sister" by Gerard McMahon, among others) of his hip-hop – similar in this respect to "The Eminem Show" – while a generally more tormented and introspective vein pushes through in the lyrics. Lyrics that, for the rest, cyclically revolve around the classic Eminem-esque themes: satire of the entertainment world through "triple x" dissing and pitch-black humor, cartoonish cruelty meant to épater le bourgeois, the autobiographical reality show, here centered on his recent battle with drug addiction. The vocal polish is there, the flow is still dazzling, though the linguistic hyperbole and punch lines bite much less than they used to.

And the tracklist seems arranged, with plenty of variety, to please everyone. There are blatantly chart-aimed anthems like the singalong of "Cold Wind Blows", not bad at all, actually, in its genre, the urban cut "Talkin' To Myself", the glossy single "Not Afraid", the embarrassing "No Love" (sampling – and believe me, I'm not joking – Haddaway's "What Is Love", with a trendy feature from Lil Wayne) and a sort of bitter love duet with Rihanna (two people who, after all, know a thing or two about mishaps with their respective partners) on "I Love The Way You Lie".

Elsewhere, fortunately, Mathers proves he can do better (the famous "signs of recovery" mentioned earlier): in the old-school goth-funk of "On Fire", for instance, in the energetic crossover of "Won't Back Down" (with an inconsequential feature from the former foam-rubber punkette Pink), in the vaudeville rap of "So Bad" and of the closing "Untitled" (a spot-on move to dig up the vintage girl-group chorus of Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me"), in that oddball but irresistible synthetic stomp that is "Cinderella Man", in the cinematic number, almost a rap musical, "Almost Famous" and even in the two power ballads "Going Through Changes" and "Space Bound" (based, respectively, on the Black Sabbath and Rem tracks mentioned above).

An honest popstar's work. This is Eminem, at the moment, take it or leave it.

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23/06/2010