Eminem: Relapse (Aftermath/Shady, 2009) – thespark review

 

By Jack Griffith, thespark correspondent

Everyone seems to have gotten over the fact a white rapper sits at the summit of the rap world, even after a long spell out of the public eye due to personal problems. Having created a storm of anticipation in his five year absence, Eminem is back with ‘Relapse‘. So how is it?

The rapper has endured a tumultuous few years, years that have seen the death of close friend and fellow rapper Proof (of D12 fame), as well as spells in and out of rehab, and murmurs have been rife of what toll this all might take on his next record.

 The first two singles, ‘Crack A Bottle’ and ‘We Made You’, were clearly chart fodder and did not fill fans with optimism, who thought these watered-down efforts would be indicative of the album’s tone.

They needn’t have worried. Executive producer Dr Dre lays down some signature 2001-esque beats on which Eminem can demonstrate his versatility with tracks that skip from the humorous to the fantasy and the absurd.

This effort contains the usual level of controversy and profanity which will appeal to the legions of angry youth who lap up his angry laments.

The mandatory Mom-bashing and pop culture targets are all present here, complete with Shady’s trademark skits. Those celebrities who incur his wrath this time round include Rhianna, Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey.

Christopher Reeve is oddly still in the firing line and even ‘battles’ Eminem on ‘Medicine Ball’, a lyrical torrent backed with epic horns and crunching drums. ‘Hello’ is a stand out track, with thudding beats, moody strumming and an infectious hook that makes it accessible to all.

‘Bagpipes from Baghdad’ is an eastern-tinged banger with screeching string samples, and ‘Same Song and Dance’ is a bumpy, haunting break over in which he speaks of murdering Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan.

Eminem seems to strike a strange balance: he is revered amongst his pop audience and yet still commands respect in most hip hop circles. He perpetually offends even the most liberal of people who are hesitant to question his undeniable talent. This effort shows no signs of the one they call Slim Shady letting up just yet. Bring on Relapse 2.

thespark rating: 4/5

~ by thenewspark on June 25, 2009.