The poet as an angry young man. Though to be honest, Eminem's getting a little long in the tooth to pull off that act for much longer - this is his seventh studio album.
In fact, Recovery does show more than a touch of the maturity he always tried to project but
never quite seemed to manage.
There's no denying this is a rap album, and in finest hip-hop tradition guest artists abound, but two of those artists in particular, Rihanna and Pink, betray a mainstream pop leaning that provides a nice counter to Eminem's ranting style. Let's face it, it's not just the knack for clever lyrics, it's the eye for a good tune the rapper and his producers have always had that's behind his success.
Most often we find that in the sampling - here he uses Black Sabbath, 90s pop tune What Is Love?, and even plays with a little REM.
But second single Love The Way You Lie, with Rihanna guesting, is a standout. As is You're Never Over, a sweet tribute to dead D12 rapper Proof in which Eminem mixes singing with fast and furious rhymes.
Nice Recovery.
4/5
