Eminem's Relapse - Early Album Review

Eminem is one of the most controversial figures in the history of music. The Detroit, Michigan based rapper is unquestionably one of the most talented lyricists to ever bless the microphone but his personal life has often overshadowed his gifts. Now Eminem is back with his first solo album, Relapse, since 2004's Encore. Is Marshall Mathers still one of the most talented rappers in the world?

The first official single off of Relapse is We Made You. The track is co-produced by Dr. Dre and Eminem. The song recalls memories of past Eminem first singles such as The Real Slim Shady and My Name Is. The song just does not have the same effect as those previous hits.

The first song most people heard off of Relapse is Crack A Bottle featuring 50 Cent and Dr. Dre. The song like most of the album is produced by Dr. Dre. Each of the three rappers deliver strong verses over the strong production by Dr. Dre.

Old Times Sake features and is produced by Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre sounds awkward over the very melodic delivery of the verses. Eminem shows that he still has it lyrically and creatively.

Insane is a very disturbing song. The lyrics are some of the hardest to swallow in recent memory. The bouncy production however almost masks the insanity of the lyrical content.

Medicine Ball is a solid hip hop track. The production works well and Eminem brings his A-game lyrically. The Dr. Dre production really works well on this track.

Beautiful is the only song on the album produced solely by Eminem. The song uses a sample from Reaching Out by Paul Rogers. The song is more vintage Eminem than most of the album. The song finds Eminem using his normal flow.

The Dr. Dre produced My Mom reignites Eminem's war with his mother Debbie Mathers. Lyrically the song is almost painful to listen to based on the subject value. The ominous Dr. Dre production takes the song to a whole different level.

Bagpipes Over Baghdad is another different sounding song. The mixing of Middle Eastern sounds and bagpipes is extremely different. The whole verse is an ode to Mariah Carey which is a bit odd.

Hello will definitely be heard in arenas around the country when Eminem performs. The song is going to be a crowd favorite based on the simplistic chorus. The Dr. Dre production is deceivingly simple with numerous DJ scratches throughout.

Stay Wide Awake is an interesting track. The production almost seems haunted. Eminem delivers more deep and haunting lyrics while his flow sounds almost otherworldly.

Relapse shows that Eminem is still one of the most talented rappers in the game. On the album he switches up his flow on almost every track. Half the time you almost forget that Eminem is actually rapping. Some people will probably have issues with the numerous flows used on the album however on certain tracks it works. Overall Relapse gets 8 out of 10. If you are a fan of Eminem make sure you pick up Relapse when it is available in stores on May 19^th.