Album review: Eminem, 'Recovery'
2 stars (out of 4)
With “Recovery,” his sixth major-label release (Interscope/Shady/Aftermath), 37-year-old Eminem is no longer a sure thing. His relevance hanging in the balance, he fights back like an artist who knows he’s running out of time to reclaim his place as one of hip-hop’s dominant MC’s. He mixes apologies with belligerence, and tries to will himself back into the game by rapping like a demon over surprisingly dull tracks. The once incorrigible prankster even gets sentimental.
What a strange way to make a comeback.
More than a decade ago, Eminem turned his talent for tongue-twisting rhymes and wicked wordplay into a series of transgressive hits, beginning with the Dr. Dre-produced “The Slim Shady LP.” But when you make a career out of shocking listeners, it’s only a matter of time before the shtick wears thin. Lately Eminem has sounded like a self-parody, knocked for a loop by the death of a close friend, the Detroit rapper Proof, and a long-running battle with drugs.
On “Recovery,” his still formidable flow plays out over brooding, monochromatic tracks – most consisting of little more than spare beats and moody keyboards -- that make him sound even more bruised. For an artist who has sold 30 million albums, his latest release is brutally short on hooks and, most of all, fun. The subversive humor is long gone, and his cultural references (David Cook? Austin Powers? Yet another dis of Mariah Carey?) remain dated.