Album review: Eminem's 'Recovery'

Ever since Kanye West looped Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," the hip-hop zeitgeist has tilted toward techno. Skinny-jeaned stars Wiz Khalifa and Kid Cudi have rapped over Alice Deejay and Robert Miles, while Power 106 keeps house DJ David Guetta in heavy rotation.

Admirably, Eminem has always ignored evanescent trends. Despite an over-reliance on gross-out gags and tired pop culture riffs, his last album, "Relapse," further plumbed the weird depths of his psyche. Yet on his sixth album, "Recovery," he ushers in the "Night at the Roxbury" era, sampling Haddaway's "What Is Love," the Eurodance ballad mocked in the "Saturday Night Live" skits and spinoff movie. The song ("No Love") isn't as awful as it is illustrative of the pitfalls facing Marshall Mathers. In its quest for six-digit download numbers, the industry has reduced Eminem, Lil Wayne and highly gifted producer Just Blaze to plundering grooves for the silk-shirt and silver-suited set.

"Recovery" is thwarted by similarly ill-fitting decisions. Beats from his longtime collaborators the Bass Brothers and Dr. Dre are largely nonexistent save for the latter's co-production on "So Bad." In their stead are anthemic, hackneyed hooks and big-budget producers du jour (Boi-1Da, Jim Jonsin, DJ Khalil) at their most monochromatic and monotonous. Cameos from Pink ("Won't Back Down") and Rihanna ("Love the Way You Lie") further exacerbate the disconnect from the qualities that made Eminem a star: wariness of cultural cliché, knack for storytelling and conflict, and a caustic wit. Thematically, Eminem eschews the offbeat for the inspirational, with the 12-step single "Not Afraid" serving as a manifesto for his newfound sobriety. The central salvation is Mather's enduring virtuosity. Throughout "Recovery," he weaves dazzling internal patterns and clever word play.

But ultimately, until Eminem is able to restore the memory of what got him to the top in the first place, full recovery is impossible.

-- Jeff Weiss

Eminem
"Recovery"
Interscope/Aftermath
Two and a half stars (Out of four)

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Comments

[JeffWeiss-mustbesmokingcrack]

He's 37 years old! Why do you idiots not understand that???? People mature and get older. Do you here Jay-Z rapping about the same things he rapped about when he first got to the top? NO!

Lay down the crack pipe Jeff!!!!

[Aden M.]

Your review is complete rubbish man. This is Em going in a new direction. Out of the darkness and despair which was Relapse and so he uses honesty and self criticism to change for the better. The only complaints I would have of Recovery, is WTP which wasn't good at all. And So Bad needed a better hook, because the chorus in it was terrible, the same for On Fire (although the latter had crazy punchlines which made it good). Also You're Never Over was beautiful however Em could have definitely used someone else to sing the chorus. Every other song was very well done. As an album, if I was to be very critical, I would give it 3.5/4. Eminem is doing almost exactly what he needs to be doing. Dre and the Bass Brothers made Em famous, but he was overdoing it when he used only their productions for Relapse. The production on Recovery was very well done. So I respectfully think you're mad for thinking his album wasn't well thought out. It's a lot more than Pop and Hiss.

[Jay B]

Ultimately, until these old and out of touch reviewers who don't listen nor understand hiphop make way for younger and more relevant music critics then sadly, Eminem will never receive the praise he's due.

To mention "harder stronger" or Kid Cudi in the same breath as this sentence only reflects the sheer ignorance that you have regarding what it is your giving your opinion on- music.

Eminem doesn't have to "find" his old self Mr Weiss, because this album is by all means better than even his old self..which is hard to top in itself. This album is leaps and bounds better than any hiphop album in the last decade. I fail to see how people just consistently overlook the lyrical wizardry that Em crafts on this album. And as for beats? Yea the beats on this album are as versatile and personal as the subject matter their rhymed over, and only an ignorant fool wouldn't be able to see that.

But its alright. Eminem knew the deal a long time ago.. "I'll probably never get the props I ever feel I deserve"
F the critics.

[kevin]

your retarded. eminem himself was a pioneer of chorus sampling with "sing for the moment". definately pre-dating kanye. the move away from dre beats is part of his growing as an artist. if you want an artist to sound the same their entire career go pick up an AC/DC album. maybe somebody who appreciates the genre should have penned this piece....

[Flipfizzle]

ya dont even have the proper cd cover posted on this page for your review. Shows what you know.

[BlackHagerNY]

Stupid review, wake up jeff.

[kabol]

didnt the la times issue an apology for inventing a story of "real accounts" depicting how big had pac killed?

two and a half stars seems a little funny coming from the la times.

unbiased is not a word that comes to mind. i was thinking about the absolute worst word to use in this situation and that's the one word that currently fits this bill best.

[WhoHiredthisguy?]

Jeff Weiss you're an idiot... This Album is amazing and will soon be a classic.

[Harry]

Horrible review. Clearly knows nothing about Eminem and his music.

[DeShawna Powell]

Are you serious? This is your review of one of the best Hip Hop albums in years? You need a new job! You just wasted space on a server, assuming you know what your talking about. Homie you best go listen to Detroit Rap, and East and South coast beats, before you claim this is beats for the Silk Shirts! These beats are DETROIT and new East coast mixed. The most boring tired beat on this album was sad to say it Dre! But who cares. No one listens to Rap albums for beats and hooks! When did we start that? Substance, Substance, Substance! THAT Is what we should be focused on, because that is the message we should be wanting to send to the hop hop community! Put some substance in your Raps and spit them like you mean it damn it! And there's an abundance of it in this album! Eminem showed huge amounts of Humility, and took huge risks saying allot of things he did! How many Rappers are talking about their struggles with envy, and self-esteem? How many are sharing their personal stories about being unable to deal with the grief from the loss of their dearest friend? Admitting that they were too weak? That they attempted suicide with their Daughters in their home? That they literally came back from the edge of death! And since turned that into positive? People are murdered, or die naturally everyday, and leave behind someone who loves them to deal with it, and make sense out of it. That’s real life! And a Rapper NEVER says they are weak! How many are talking about their fears of being hurt? and the pain and anger he felt when the person they love didn’t want him anymore? A Hard core super star Rapper is expressing how hard and deep he falls in love, the power women have over him to make him feel that deeply, and admits a woman didn’t want HIM and dumped HIM? Never once does his ego attempt to water it down with mentions of sex, expensive gifts, money, how big a star he is, his big house or his cars! He stays ultra personal, nothing but raw personal emotions. It’s a rare thing to hear a Rap song in which the artist isn’t portraying women as hoe’s, or that they want to smack them around, rape them, or buying them expensive gifts to get their clothes off. And all women want is money! How many hardcore Rappers have the guts to take personal responsibility for their acts of domestic violence? How many RAP songs do we have in which a Rapper express’s his own struggle not to hit his woman when he’s angry and says he feels ashamed? How many G’s in the industry and in the hood, either do it or have done it?? If and when they do talk about it, as 2pac did, they do it generally, or through telling someone else’s story, as if it’s distant! And its bad in the hip hop community! Heck we all just watched a tape of rap artists hitting a woman!

I’m not saying we should totally change the substance of Rap about women, cause sometimes it’s funny, but the addition of the other side of that abuse, and the admission of that, on a level this deep, is refreshing. Nor am I saying substance should totally be shifted to deeper issues like this. But right now we have NONE! It's ALL sex, drugs, cars, and money on the radio! Em just dropped this bomb, with substance alone made everyone on the radio look irrelevant!

And it takes allot of guts to say what he said! He's was very smart to included those diss/ empowerment tracks, otherwise he'd be an open target for anyone in the game thinking of using it to make a name for themselves! I applaud him and I hope this guy just gave new rap artists more confidence to get more personal!

All of this and this is the msg we want to send to Hip Hop? All this = 2.5 stars? Nah That stuff is FAR more significant than the beat! Thats the heart of rap, Stories to timed rhythms. The substance always outweighs beat's unless your making crap like drake about nothing, then you give them equal significance!

The day we start giving Rap albums poor to mediocre ratings because we gave more significance to our flavor of beats, than to skills, & talent, and messages of overcoming grief, addiction, voicing struggles with violence toward others, and struggles in relationships, this genre will seal it’s coffin. That's what you should be focused on! I'd like to see a new review where every line is spent sending that message! Instead you wasted them on beats!

I say LA Times ask Mark Hoppus of Blink -182 to Review Recovery! He tweeted his 1.6 mil followers about today. "markhoppus The new eminem record is so smart, heavy, raw, and honest I sat down and listened to it twice in a row to hear every lyric." Notice he didn't say beat! Cause the beat means little in RAP this isn't an R&B or pop album ITS RAP!

[Craig]

The divide in hip hop between highly lyrical (e.g. Blu, Little Brother, Slum Village) and top 40 (e.g. Kid Cudi, Eminem, B.o.B.) is beginning to become glaring. No longer is cultivation of potentially talented mainstream artists necessary; toss them in the one-size-fits-all machine and everyone makes money. The only losers are those who truly appreciate music and the evolution of the art.

Personally, I find this whole phenomenon absurd. Everything is the same from producers, featured guests, and even vocals. If I hear one more song featuring Rivers Cuomo I might have to choose a new hobby. I feel like this movement should be called the MGMT effect. For some reason, I feel like the sound of "Kids" epitomizes everything that is wrong in mainstream today.

I'm also becoming more and more concerned that those whose opinion in hip hop I respect are going to get pulled over to the darkside. HipHopDX already rated Recovery 4 stars, which is a pretty credible grade under their system.

Anyways, agree with your review (like always).

-Craig

[Tyler - Protein Pills Guy]

I totally agree with this review. I kinda miss the great story telling that he's capable of. It seems like some of these songs were just random lyrics that sound cool, but lead no where.

Also, not sure why Pink is even in that song. Personally I thought Relapse was much better, however I must admit I have only listened to Recovery once. Overall though, Eminem still has the best lyrics and flow.

[Mitch]

This reviewer apparently does not know much about this subject. This is Eminem's 7th studio album, not his 6th. Once you get your facts right maybe people will take your review more seriously.

[B]

Sorry, but I disagree with this review. Eminem has matured. You sense there is still hatred in Marshall's heart, but now more than ever, you hear more references to love. I like this new direction. This is the first album in a VERY VERY LONG TIME that I can sit and listen to straight through. I intentionally took an hour drive during my lunch break yesterday to hear it and now I'm sitting at my desk listening on my ipod. This album has done something other MCs haven't been able to do for me; instill motivation.

Also; his track with Lil Wayne is honestly one of the hottest verses I've ever heard.

[REALbarbwire7]

Eminem is awesome. He is a true artist, because he takes from his life experiences, whether good or bad. Deal with it. That's what he's doing.

[Mike]

Does the reviewer even listen to hip-hop? Has he ever heard another Eminem album? It sounds like a white 55 year old man wrote this review. This review is so off-based the writer should be assigned to other columns, not writing hip-hop album reviews.

I think this is Eminem's best effort since the Marshall Mathers LP.

Recovery is an album that lets us peer into the mind of Eminem. He explains his absence, drug problems, family and fame issues. He drops the shock-and-awe lyric style that made him loved/hated, and goes with a more direct, this-is-why-it-happened flow. The beats are good and the rhymes, as usual, are on time.

[drejer]

Another boring celebrity wanna-b (remember the crotch-in-face from Kazakstan) trying to make money on being 'reborn' - reboring is more it. His angry spewing is old old old not even as shocking as Gaga's hair, and he's a sellout - he was preaching "techno's dead' and now he sounds like a cheap Casio. He should have done better drugs is all....

[Lillian Gish]

Holy Crap did you really just give the best Hip Hop album to come out in about 5 years 2.5 stars out of 4. Is this the real review?? lmao!!! Wow man, that is funnest thing I've ever read!! Every now and then an album comes out that exposes just how much music critics know about music it's self! ANN POWERS Where are you?? Redo!! Jeff really, If you wanna maintain any sort of credibility, you just need to admit that when you saw 2 pop stars and learned Dr. Dre only produced one track, you went into listening to the beats on this track predisposed to not liking them, and therefore lack objective judgment! Those beats match the tone of Eminems passion in each track! And they are ALL different!!! Not Monotonous! Dude my dad is composer for film and TV, and an Emmy award winning one at that! I just read this to my dad, he laughed, and said "well that guy's rather short sighted! Sounds like sounds like a puritan stuck in a area long gone. You know he reminds me of those critics who chided Bob Dylan, when he started using electric guitars in his music! But thank god the general public knew great lyrics and Music when they heard it. "Like a Rolling Stone" became a world wide hit and is still a classic today!" I say, Thank God Musicians (people with actual knowledge of music) vote for the Grammy's! Those beats are a Mix of 60's pop, with New East & Coast Hip Hop beats and some modernized ol' school Detroit Rock rap! When my dad heard Em flowing over Won't Back Down's complex Bluesy Detroit Rock beat composed in 6/8 TIME! He played that over and over! Its FANTASTIC! That alone won this album the Rap Grammy fo sure! You have NEVER heard a rapper flow with a beat that complex before! Yeah you've heard them flow 2 or 3 times over basic hip hop loops in 6/8 like Jay-z on "My First Song" or Kanye in Spaceship (& they Barely Flowed over them!) but you never anything like this craziness! Cuz its Hard as hell! In Fact, last year Em was criticized for forcing a 4/4 flow into the waltz 3/4 Time (similar to the 6/8 only slower) on Underground. People were saying he couldn't do it! Then he comes back and SLAYS an even more complex beat, in a fairly rare time signature, & switching emphasis with the beat as smooth as butter! That last verse is So Sick! Who gives a crap who the chick is on the hook, I didn't even notice! Rap Album's aren't recorded by orchestra's, that usually only done at live performances, but when Khalil puts that beat to an orchestra it's gonna be jaw dropping! So will the Rihanna track LTWYL!

" In their stead are anthemic, hackneyed hooks and big-budget producers du jour (Boi-1Da, Jim Jonsin, DJ Khalil) at their most monochromatic and monotonous." - - LIE There are 4 Anthem sounding beats out of 16/18 depending which version you get! There's a reason for that, that complex beat on WBD is bordering on feeling overkill, Not because of the beat it's self it, but because those producers are working with a crazy talented lyricists, who became known for putting as many as 940+ lyrics in his raps on his last album! This isn't the lazy Raps you’d get from Drake or Wayne or Banks, etc, It's Eminem! They have to take that into consideration, because he says so much, he's so passionate his words are loudly pushed out with a allot force behind them, and his sharp emphasis and punctuation is just as much apart of the beat. Anything more complex under Em's spit and all of those tracks would have felt they were boarding on overkill! Go back and listen to the beats SSLP, MMLP And The Eminem Show, they were all Simple monotonous beats! Then listen to these! Besides you write as though Eminem was some underground Rapper just prior to this! Dude he grew out of that crappy phase, and became more useful in supporting hip hop with his huge record sales on SSLP! There isn't a Hip Hop Artists who's touched more people around the world than Eminem, He raps about it in White America!! So this BS about reducing them to the grooves of silk shirts is not only an insult to the to the Coasts, Midwest and 60's, it's wrong! IF anyone reduced him to the grooves of silk shirts it was Dre with his poppy hip hop beats long before this! Truth is ALL of these are awesome!

And I really can't believe you chided him for "who" the artist's are on a 10 sec. hook. Rather than looking at whether or not the artist fit the tone of the song and delivered! Why single out Pink and Rihanna exacerbate the disconnect?? Why is Kobe exempt? Because one is a rock/pop rebel and the other an R&B / pop star? Talent means nothing anymore, it's all about image, who you appear to be associating with, right? That's just BS! Pinks tone of voice fit that song perfectly! And who else would have been better to sing the hook, on a song a about the mans struggle with Domestic Violence, than a well known Female Artist who recently also became a victim of Domestic Violence? You know of any others? Just BS!

Even if they aren't your taste, you can't deny they are extremely skillfully put together! I totally give a standing ovation to every one of the producers on this album!! All those new underground Detroit guys eager to help put Detroit back on the map, finally have a huge selection of original awesome sounds to grab and make a staple for the area! Dude I’d never be foolish enough to say this album isn‘t a classic! Its brilliant! Your 2.5 stars is a disgrace to this rag! for sure!
DETROIT STAND UP!!!!!

[Mr. Cynical]

This album is definitely his best album since The Eminem Show. I see where the writer is coming from though - I'm not a huge fan of techno/80's samples either. He needs to recognize, though, that Hip Hop has evolved and isn't restricted to certain sounds. And a lot of you need to realize that this ISN'T the best hip hop album in the last decade. There's a lot of talent out there that doesn't make it into the mainstream or that are on different and more rooted levels. This is a solid album, but I wouldn't call it THE BEST hip hop album of the last decade (although I also see why the younger crowds would say this).

[JEFF WEISS IS A HATER]

I JUS TURNED 13 YESTERDAY SO I AM LEGALLY PERMITTED TO WRITE COMMENTS HERE...SO I GOTTA SAY THAT JEFF WEISS'S REVIEW IS CRAP...I HATE IT...AS A SOCIALLY AWKWARD KID WITH SEVERE ACNE AND NO FRIENDS (I PLAY JENGA WITH MY MOMS EVERY WEEKEND), I RELATE TO EMINEM AND LIKE EVERYTHING HE DOES, EVEN THE LESS IMPRESSIVE STUFF LIKE ENCORE THE RE UP AND RELAPSE...HES THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME...YOUR JUS A WANNABE SMART JEWISH CRITIC...I MEAN IM JEWISH 2, BUT I FEELS EMINEM AND HIS STRUGGLE...SMH

[James W]

I dont care if this is posted or not. But I just wanna know if you even listened to the album before you did a review? The only thing you got right was the last sentence in your third paragraph. The rest of your review is trash. Glad I don't base whether or not I buy an album on reviews, or I would miss out on great music. Eminem raps better than any other artists, no one is even close to his skill level. Sure I listen to other rappers just for a change, but lets be honest, in comparison to Shady's work, all other rappers are garbage. And I mean, ALL. Get someone else to do reviews, someone who knows good hip hop when they hear it. You should be reviewing country or something.

[Devon]

I completely agree with your review. Just bought Recovery and I'm disappointed as I thought he realized the Relapse wasn't what it should have been and so he quickly prepared to produce and release this album which sounds just like Relapse except for the one heavy guitared song (don't know name of songs yet - just bought it) which I found enjoyable.

Regarding another comment posted, yes he is older, however, that should enhance the substance of what he's talking about. What I find, just like the review states, Em's presentation of the subject matter is not what it used to be. From jump, the production should be brought back to the Dr. Dre camp which always complimented his style. I just can't seem to get in the groove of this new album. Good review. Best wishes.

[Jai]

i think that your career is in jeopardy; therefore, slander and negativity to engage a response either makes you feel better or sells more copies. i'm positive it's one of the two.

[Andrew]

Some of you are riding the album way too hard. The best hip-hop album in 5 years? Really? The Roots How I Got Over is a more cohesive album by far, hell all 3 of their Def Jam releases. Nas and Damian Marley's album is brilliant, and Only Built for Cuban Links Part II came out last year. Blu & Exlie's album was a solid too. I'm not a huge Kid Cudi fan but his album listenable and production was top notch. Granted I think Hip-Hop as a genre has really fallen in terms of quality in the last few years, I don't think we'll get another run of quality albums like we did in the start of the 2000s: The Blueprint, Stillmatic, Madvilliany, The Grind Date, Cold Vein, Black on Both Sides, Reflection Eternal, Speakboxxx/The Love Below for awhile . . . unless Outkast make another album in the next couple years, since they seem to be the most consistent mainstream Hip-Hop act in the last 2 decades.

Recovery 3.5-4/5 it's good but nowhere near classic. I go by the code of original damn near impossible to get 5 mic reviews before The Source got bought out. You all are far to generous and forgiving of your favorite rappers.

[Wow]

Wow- this review sucks d---. Try giving the album another listen before writing the review. Like with many albums... I didn't really feel this on the first few spins. But after a few days, I realized- this album is very ecclectic and hits the rap game HARD on the head.

For a genre that has been pillaged by Neaderthalian "Krunk Rap" like Lil' John and Paul Wall and the non-stop glorification on gettnig laid and having lots of money (Jay-Z and T.I. and [insert any top 40 rapper]), I think this album is what Hip-Hop needed.

Light a fire under 'em all Shady- let's get MC's back to writing quality, meaningful* lyrics.

*While not all the songs on "Recovery" feature incredible "meaningful" lyrics, very clever metaphors are beautifully interwoven throughout the refreshingly sick beats- now that's Rap. Not "Whhhhhhhattt???? OOOOhhhhhh Kayyy!!!!". I for one, am very, very grateful for the Return of the King. And what's more shocking is- I don't think he's finished.