Album Review: Eminem, Relapse

05.17.09

So here’s what you probably already know by now: Eminem still hates celebrities, still raps about killing and raping women, still uses that silly voice that he used on the song dedicated to dissing a hand puppet, and has become a lesser version of himself from nine years ago. But his relevancy has dropped considerably over the years and so has his ability to stay in touch with what the fans want to hear. Sure, in 1999 we had never heard someone so vocal in their lyrics about how cheesy American pop music was. Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, N Sync all got taken down a peg or two, and at the time it was a relief to hear someone stand up against that crap. Now that it’s 2009, all we see is ridicule of our pop stars and celebrities all over the tv, papers and internet. We don’t need Eminem to join in anymore and put his two cents in about these stale topics – it’s already taken care of everywhere else. We also don’t need a grown man (almost 40 now) rapping in character of a psychopathic murderer/rapist with a voice that sounds like Conan O’Brien’s evil villain impression. What we do need is a fired-up, aggressive and lyrically dominant Eminem – a ‘The Way I Am’/'Soldier’/'Lose Yourself’ Eminem. We need a heartfelt, thoughtful, smart ‘When I’m Gone’/'Stan’/'Like Toy Soldiers’ Eminem. Neither of those sides of Marshall Mathers show up for very long on Relapse, but I think I’ve figured out why.

New Music: Eminem, Old Time’s Sake [ft. Dr. Dre]

05.05.09

Song: Old Time’s Sake [ft. Dr. Dre]
Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse
Label: Shady / Aftermath / Interscope
Producer: Dr. Dre
Notes: none
Analysis: Now that I’ve sort of accepted that we probably aren’t going to be getting any real new Eminem material off of Relapse, I have to just sit back and take in the music for what it is, which so far has sounded like lost tracks from the Marshall Mathers LP sessions. ‘Old Time’s Sake’ fits that same description, but more in the essence of what it was like to hear Dre & Em rap together for the first time.

Music Video: Eminem, 3am

05.03.09

Song: 3am
Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse
Label: Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Producer: Dr. Dre
Notes: 2nd single from LP
Analysis: The buzz surrounding Relapse is sort of low, thanks to an awful first single and accompanying video, followed up with a single that’s better lyrically, but too brutal to play on any radio station. Thankfully, the video for ‘3am’ is really good. It’s just as harsh as the song and it plays out like a fast-cut slasher film. I’m still kind of torn about whether I’m upset that this is the same Eminem as ten years ago, or happy about it. I’m still going to need to hear the entire album before I can make a judgement on that.

New Music: Eminem, 3 AM

04.23.09

Song: 3 AM
Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse
Label: Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Producer: Dr. Dre
Notes: 2nd single from LP
Analysis: Maybe because I’m ten years older than I was when Eminem first started this shtick, or maybe because I just got finished reading a sickening story in my local newspaper about a man who killed his own family and then himself (one of several family murder-suicides in a short number of weeks in this country), but hearing a really vivid rap song about a mass killing spree is just not my idea of entertainment anymore.

Music Video: Eminem, We Made You

04.07.09

Song: We Made You
Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse
Label: Shady / Aftermath / Interscope
Producer: Dr. Dre
Notes: 1st single from LP
Analysis: Interesting marketing technique to release your first single for consumption the same day as the music video. Usually there is some time for the lead single to marinate with the public before the visuals are unveiled, but the Interscope team decided that giving both to the fans on the same day is the way to go. It’s a smart tactic, but only if the material is good. The video for ‘We Made You’ is again, the typical video from Em, dressing up as random celebrities in goofy scenarios to go with the weak lyrics. I’m actually glad that we got both of these on the same day, because the sooner this song gets played out, the sooner we get to the juicy stuff that has earned Eminem his crown as one of the best rappers alive. That is, if he still has it in him.

New Music: Eminem, We Made You

04.07.09

Song: We Made You
Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse
Label: Shady / Aftermath / Interscope
Producer: Dr. Dre
Notes: 1st single from LP
Analysis: Eminem is stuck in a formula. It’s a formula that has worked for him in the past, but I’m not so sure it’s the direction for Relapse to go. It’s pretty much universally agreed upon that Encore was a disappointment, and five years later, it should be time for Eminem to move past the silly voice rapping and unprovoked celebrity bashing. Maybe it was what made him a household name ten years ago, but they aren’t his strongest musical qualities. ‘We Made You’ is his expected formulaic goofy first single, and even compared to his past lead singles, it’s not so good.

New Music: Eminem, Crack a Bottle [ft. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent]

01.06.09

Song: Crack a Bottle [ft. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent]
Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse
Label: Shady / Interscope Records
Producer: Dr. Dre
Notes: First single from Relapse
Analysis: Eminem officially returns after a 5 year hiatus (aside from a few compilation albums), and he sounds…meh.