Eminem's New Album Recovery Review

Eminem's new album Recoverylaunched onto the consumer market a day early on June 21, 2010, due to online leakage of the tracks, according to Reuters via Yahoo News. The Nielsen SoundScan artist of the previous decade¹ offers up a solid start to a new decade with Recovery. Recovery harkens back to the early 2000s when Eminem dominated the charts with The Eminem Show and the soundtrack to "8 Mile" virtually back to back. The tracks are neither novelty for pure novelty or spitting venom because it's easy - they are the work of a master rapper, the master rapper Eminem has always been. He truly needed a Recovery, and this album is it.

Lead single "Not Afraid" has been a chart topping juggernaut, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was also the top music download the week of its debut². "Not Afraid" was the best choice for a lead single from Recovery. While there are other equally powerful tracks on the album, "Not Afraid" was the perfect mix of a good beat, rapping technique, inspiration, and words capable of resonating not only with core rap fans but a wider demographic, as well.

In another well-crafted and appointed track onRecovery, songstress Rihanna joins Eminem on the track "Love the Way You Lie." On first listen one wonders why Rihanna would sing along on a song that discusses violence in a relationship, but by the end of the track there is no way to envision the song without her vocalization. The coupling of Rihanna and Eminem melds in the way that Dido and Eminem melded for "Stan," which sampled Dido's "Thank You." "Love the Way You Lie" will be finding its way to radio play, and it will surely be a hit despite lyrics that will be deemed controversial such as "I'm gonna tie her to the bed/and set the house on fire."

"Almost Famous" is another conspicuous track onRecovery. It samples the Haddaway song "What Is Love" and features a chorus vocalized by an unnamed female. The female portion distracts from the forceful rapping Eminem turns in coupled with references to David Carradine's death and Ben Roethlisberger's close brushes with justice.

Other Recoverytracks worth an immediate second listen include "Cinderella Man" - it is virtually impossible to keep from moving when Eminem takes off in this track. The coupling of the beat with a great flow is powerful. "You're Never Over" is a track purely dedicated to Eminem's friend Proof who died in a shooting in April of 2006 at a Detroit nightclub. Portions of the stylization bring to mind the echo effect of "Not Afraid," but the track remains unique.

Fans of Eminem are sure to appreciate Recoveryas the true return to form for Eminem, and it is likely that Mr. Marshall Mathers is going to recruit new fans who have only really processed his true talent after the fact by listening to his career launching CDs.

Additional Sources:

¹Eminem Is the Best-Selling Artist of the Decade. MTV News.
²Eminem Leads Host of High Debuts on Hot 100. Billboard.
³D12's Proof Shot and Killed at Detroit Night Club. MTV News.