Here's my full review for this album, which I just finished listening to three times. I have urged to stem my gushes constructively when producing this review, and I'd be interested to hear other opinions. Warning: MASSIVE tl,dr.

Eminem's 'RECOVERY' Review​

My biggest music collection from any one artist, whether it is tracks or albums, is from Eminem, Marshall Mathers III, arguably one of the best rappers who have ever performed in terms of flow and wordplay. Whether his work has been consistently good is a very different, very interesting question. In terms of his wordplay and speed, he's at the top of his game, there's no question. I don't think there's a single artist who can compare with his speed and comprehensibility of his material (his track with Lil Wayne bluntly proves this, but I'll get to that later). But as for his themes, Eminem works at his best when he's rapping about something meaningful, something that he can put his entire spirit behind. That's why tracks like 'Lose Yourself', 'Stan', 'Marshall Mathers', 'Sing for the Moment', and 'Beautiful' are some of his best tracks he's ever laid. And the same damn thing is true with Recovery, his latest and arguably one of his most interesting albums.

Before I go into a song-by-song analysis of the album (which, when you're dealing with an Eminem album lacking a consistent narrative progression, unlike his last three albums, it's sort of required (I'm looking at you, Pitchfork)), let's do a bit of a look at Slim Shady's career. He burst onto the scene with Infinite, The Slim Shady EP, and The Slim Shady LP. I tend to find these works a bit unpolished compared to his later albums in terms of his lyric and wordplay (although, yes, I will acknowledge there were some crazy-excellent beats on The Slim Shady LP with 'My Name Is' and 'My Fault', although you can still find better raps off of his diss-tracks that didn't hit mainstream). He followed it up with The Marshall Mathers LP, one of the darkest, angriest albums I had ever heard. It was a fine mix of the furious and the insane, but with a note of narrative clarity that most first-time listeners will not catch. Same with his follow-up album, The Eminem Show, except this time the dark tone he's creating is less of the 'demented revolutionary' and more of the 'tortured prophet', if you will. Songs like 'Square Dance', ' 'Till I Collapse', 'When The Music Stops', and 'White America' were still dark, but you had to look a little closer to find the deeper meaning that was right up front from The Marshall Mathers LP.

Then came Encore, and everything changed.

First off, I was actually one of the few people who liked most of Encore. 'Mosh' was great, 'Like Toy Soldiers' and 'Mockingbird' were emotional and gripping (particularly to those who knew the whole diss-track story, and the scene of Proof being shot in the video of 'Like Toy Soldiers' was hauntingly prophetic), 'Crazy In Love' was manic, and 'Never Enough', 'Spend Some Time', and 'Encore' were all solid rap records. It was a damn shame the rest of the album never reached those heights, but it's understandable considering the overall theme of the album. By 2004, he had fallen into fame-induced numbness, a depression that leaks into every back beat culminating with the fact that the album has him kill himself at the end of 'Encore'. It was an endpoint, and despite the few tracks produced after Encore, it was Eminem's last album for five years. And in those five years, he faded into the background, got addicted to prescription drugs, and his best and closest friend was killed.

Yeah. He went through some shit. He nearly died, and that sort of thing sticks to you. And in 2009, he decided to chronicle those years with Relapse. And...

Well, Relapse was an album unlike anything I saw. Eminem's dark obsessions, hiding in the background since The Marshall Mathers LP, leapt to the forefront again. But this darkness wasn't the depression of Encore, but rather the old rage tempered with faster wordplay and intentional (and highly criticized) accents to display the degenerate monster his 'Slim Shady' persona had become in those five years. It was twisted, it was an album borne of rage and a tortured, drug-enhanced imaginary battle with the monster that Slim Shady had become (seriously, listen to 'My Darling' a couple of times, it's a little terrifying the conflict that leaps to the forefront there).

If anything, Relapse's album flow was one of the best I had seen in a long time. The degeneration begins early and while some songs stand out as high points ('Insane', 'Stay Wide Awake', 'Deja Vu', 'Beautiful', 'Underground') and others as low points ('Crack a Bottle' should not have been on that album, and the bonus tracks 'My Darling' and 'Careful What You Wish For' should have been), the album flows unbelievably well as Eminem retraces a tortured history of his own life through the eyes of a drug-addicted serial rapist and murderer. It's only near the end that he pulls himself free to see the light of day. Relapse: Refill is only a temporary dive back into the nightmare for a few short tracks (if anything, it didn't really fit with Eminem's narrative progression, but it worked, after a fashion).



And now we have Recovery, where Eminem has fully extracted himself from the drug-addicted nightmare of Slim Shady and is facing the light of day in a world that radically different than the rap scene he grew up in. How does he manage to cope with things? Well, let's take a look at the tracks:

1. 'Cold Wind Blows' – Okay, I can immediately see why Pitchfork and most other critics loathed this track (and if they stopped listening at this point, they would most likely give a low review), because considering nearly none of them are following Eminem's narrative progression, they have no fucking clue why Eminem's Slim Shady persona is raging (or whatever's left of it). You can tell the persona is breaking down in the 'hell' that he has now entered (the real world), and it's trying (and failing) to adapt to the changed world. So we get lyrics of old-school misogyny and celebrity references, but they're breaking down under pressure, and we get a Slim Shady hooked without its manic energy, trying desperately to blame someone else for its degeneration.
   
   In all due honesty, not my favourite track. Pitchfork actually has a valid point if they call the wordplay here sloppy, because it is, but I suspect it might be part of the point. Still, it's not a great opener for the album (reminds me of 'Evil Deeds', one of the worst songs to come off of Encore). 6/10
   
2. 'Talking To Myself (feat. Kobe) – Eminem's being blunt now conveying his theme (with Kobe and Eminem both handling an excellent hook) – he's arguing with his Slim Shady persona and trying to regain the composure he nearly lost. An interesting bit of introspection here – that he nearly made songs dissing Lil Wayne and Kanye (frankly, from an outside perspective, two wars he could have won handily) but he stopped because he himself didn't think he could win. Note to Eminem: if you don't think you can beat Lil Wayne, you've got big problems. Clearly, he realized it in time before leaping on the same road as Everlast (check the diss tracks if you want details – it's entertaining).
   
   This song is interesting because it lets Eminem's self-confidence issues come to light. It's like watching an old war veteran return to the fight – he knows he's better than most of the other rappers in the field, but he's not sure if he's up to the level he's always held himself. He then follows it by saying that he thinks he let the hardcore Eminem fans down with Encore and Relapse, reintroduces himself as the 'old Eminem' and then gives a shout-out to the other hip-hop artists in the field, telling them to up their game.
   I find this intriguing, because it seems like Eminem, though his words in the chorus, is looking to find other rappers of his calibre, and when he doesn't see them, he's urging the current field to up their game. It's arrogant, to be sure, but for once, I'm glad to see this. Eminem's earned a degree of ego, and given his prior feelings shown on his last two albums, it's good to see that he's out of that depression.
   
   As for the song itself, the hook was considerably better, and while the backbeat was a little overpowering, I think the song did show a lot better than the last. My impressions? Get rid of the opening track and put in a skit – this album has no skits, and it would have been a nice opener to this. 8/10
   
3. 'On Fire' – Oh, I know why Pitchfork didn't like this song – because it's a dig at all the critics of his lyric and themes. It's a bit of a shame then that he didn't go all out ripping them to shreds, and instead seemingly intentionally made a subpar song as part of the joke (and let's be honest, this is not a great song – the wordplay is sloppy, the hook is pretty lousy, and overall, Eminem is capable of better). It's interesting in the fact that the song still followed his narrative theme, as Slim Shady tries to force another relapse on a lonely Eminem (take a close look – the hook and backbeat are very similar to a Relapse backbeat), and I understand the comment he's trying to make (critics wouldn't bother to critique the deeper meaning of the song, considering they think there is no deeper meaning), but the message and the 'joke' falls completely flat. If anything, critics have a damn good reason to criticize the song, not because it's loaded with misogyny and insults, but because it's pretty fucking terrible. 4/10
4. 'Won't Back Down (feat. Pink) – yeah, it's his song with Pink. I thought this song was going to be terrible, primarily because I have no good opinion regarding Pink's music. On the other hand, it's clear Eminem wrote the backbeat, because it's ambitious (throw on a harder bass and electric guitar and you would have an industrial metal backbeat) and genuinely good for this song. It's a rage song, and it's pretty damn clear that Eminem took those drugs Slim Shady offered him last song, because he's spitting fire and brimstone on the crack high of his life. It is clear that Slim Shady has continued to degenerate, but in this song, it works. Shady has taken Eminem back into the club, but it's a very different world than the one he left six years earlier.
   
   Here's the interesting thing with Pink's hook – I'm really not sure whether or not she's singing the hook to the Slim Shady persona as a girl in the club calling Eminem out on the misogyny (if she is, Eminem's made self-parody into a fucking art form in this song – guess we'll have to wait for the music video) or whether it's just Shady screaming himself. Either way, it was a Pink hook that worked and didn't want to make me strangle anyone, and the wordplay's the best it's been on the entire album thus far. 9/10
   
5. 'W.T.P.' – and for this song, Slim Shady is still in control, and he's back in the club, but this time it's a strip club – or at least he thinks it could be one. And this time he's fully realized what is happening to him. It's actually rather chilling how easily he can refer to himself as 'white trash' even now, and that makes the song even more self-deprecating than the last track. He's even calling the scene he's living a 'white trash party', and you can tell he's totally aware of the complete classlessness of the atmosphere. While Slim Shady is revelling in it, Eminem is disgusted by it. Even the hook is presented with a listless depression suggesting others join because 'nobody likes to be alone'. If anything, it's pretty entertaining cultural commentary.
   
   In fact, let me go a little further into this. What Eminem has effectively described (and I suspect he's at least partially aware of it) is the college/university clubbing scene. Both groups are getting absolutely shitfaced, there's free and open kinky sex, and overall a complete lack of self-esteem and security by both males and females. The interesting thing is that a lot of the imagery Eminem uses implies an air of turgid cheapness surrounding the entire scene... yeah, if that's not the university club scene, where most douchebags will refuse to buy the girl they're going home with even a pita, and the girl still goes home with him, I don't know what is.
   
   Overall, though? Great song. Excellent wordplay, a fucking earworm hook, and a good chorus. Not as good as 'Won't Back Down', but still very solid. 8/10
   
6. 'Going Through Changes' – first reaction: HOLY SHIT, EMINEM SAMPLED BLACK SABBATH! AWESOME! But besides that, Eminem has finally seized control of his mind, and he's realizing that his life is spiralling down into depression. It's actually chilling how Eminem tries desperately to rationalize the events of his life. Once again, he shows dissatisfaction with his writing. He tries desperately to find the holes in the story of Proof's death (and let's face it, there are still holes in that story). He falls into reclusion, watching the DVD of the last tour Proof was alive over and over again. And he revisits the events in 'Deja Vu' from the last album, except this time you can see he's dealing with the emotions of it. It's a look into the bleakest part of Eminem's life, and it's terrifying to see how fucking close he was to death. Except he doesn't need to reference Elvis this time – the music, filled with sirens and Hailie's cries, does that for him. Shit, that's powerful stuff.
   
   And then he wakes up in the hospital, and gives Hailie a message that most of us would never have expected – he still loves Kim, and while he acknowledges the relationship was doomed (most of it his own fault), he still would do anything for her. It sure as hell explains his behaviour over the years, but it's a revelation you would never have expected from Eminem. Shows he's a brave and extremely flawed man.
   
   Fantastic song, slower but still pertinent wordplay, and a backbeat that while it doesn't seem to work all the way through, it still works enough to put this track on the same level as 'Hallie's Song' and 'Mockingbird'. It's not 'Beautiful' – the hook doesn't fit as well as Eminem's mournful chorus in 'Beautiful', but it's close. 9/10
   
7. 'Not Afraid' – wow, talk about a great opening single that everybody has already heard. Junking the joke songs for this was a great move, and we now have one of the most optimistic and driving songs since 'Lose Yourself'. And it still manages to fit the album theme. Eminem once again admits the weaknesses of Encore and Relapse, but resolves never to fall in those traps again. His confidence has returned in spades, and honestly, it makes this song epic. Combined with one of the best orchestral backbeats Eminem has ever used, harmonies that I never would have expected or predicted, some of the best wordplay I've ever seen from Eminem, and a chorus that is arena-worthy, this is easily the best track on the album thus far. 10/10
8. 'Seduction' – this song is... strange. It's a more sophisticated sound I'm used to hearing from Eminem, and I'm still undecided whether or not it's a good sound for Eminem. Following the lyric theme, Eminem has gone to a newer, high-class environment, and he's crushing the new field of arrogant 'gangsta' rappers that live in that field by stealing their own style and women and rapping in triple time. Fuck, that's impressive.
   
   It's an interesting endeavour, because while this song feels like an evolved version of 'Superman', but it's a little classier than Eminem is typically used to, and I don't think he's entirely comfortable with it. His wordplay here is best when he's upped the time, but when he hasn't, it seems like he's lazily hammering out the rhymes like any other rapper. While I'm as much of a fan of an Eminem with confidence, he's displaying the same sort of arrogance that turns me off most gangster rappers, and that lowers my opinion of this song. Still good, but he should have rapped the entire lyric in triple time. 7/10
   
9. 'No Love (feat. Lil Wayne)' – I had one reaction before even listening to this song – he's collaborating with Lil Wayne?! Let's get this out of the way first – Lil Wayne has not yet sold me on his sloppy wordplay, shoddy backbeats, and overall arrogance he doesn't deserve, and the fact that Eminem would collaborate with him raised my eyebrows.
   
   Then I heard the opening bars, and I realized that he sampled 'What Is Love' – holy fuck. For those of you who really don't know Eminem, realize that whenever he samples a known song, he tends to kick fucking ass with it (best example is 'Sing for the Moment', with Aerosmith's 'Dream On'). So with that in mind, I put up with Lil Wayne's lyric. Honestly, by the end, he wasn't terrible, but you can clearly see that Eminem's wordplay is leagues ahead of Lil Wayne's. When Lil Wayne kicks his flow into double speed, he becomes tolerable. When Eminem kicks his flow into double speed (which is triple speed for Lil Wayne, by the way), he is awesome. But regardless of this, the sheer contrast of Eminem and Lil Wayne on this song becomes frustrating because around Eminem's clean, strong chorus and verses, you hear Lil Wayne cackling or trying to provide back verse, and it's really annoying. I honestly wish they had grabbed Kon Artis or Swifty or Kuniva to do Lil Wayne's part, and it would have sounded better.
   
   Thematically, Eminem has arrived on the stage of another rapper of today's age (I conveniently like to think that it's Lil Wayne he's busted in on) and has swiped the microphone from him in the middle of the concert, seizing back his presence on the stage. Certainly fits the lyric style that the collaboration sounds most like.
   
   Anyways, Eminem's wordplay is the fastest I've seen in ages on this track, and is more than enough to make up for Lil Wayne existing, and his line 'where the fuck is Kanye when you need him?!' makes up for everything. 9/10
   
10. 'Space Bound' – this is another weird song, but unlike 'Seduction', I think this is a better fit for Eminem's vocal style than the 'gangsta' environment. It's slower, with actual acoustic guitar, but Eminem's kicked his vocals up again to high speed with fantastic wordplay (as good as 'No Love', easily), and the contrast between them and the chorus does wonders for this song. Here, Eminem raps about a relationship he's had (it sounds like the one with Kim, but I can't tell this time), but the ethereal feeling that the backbeat creates makes me think this might have been something that Eminem had in those five years nobody knew about.
    
    What I find interesting is the attitude towards women he takes in this track. Instead of the typical 'hate/general disgust' formula he usually follows to some degree, this time he comes off almost awkward in his relations, almost painfully honest. What nearly became a Shady-esque violent moment reminiscent of 'Kim' instead turns into suicide. It's interesting to see the contrast, and if anything, it's indicative of a painful honesty in his rhetoric, brought upon by an over-exposure to the joyless sex fame brings and his own ruined relationships. Are we seeing a more mature Eminem? Looks like it to me.
    
    In any case, that maturity has given his verses a little more gravitas, and it makes this song a lot more meaningful. For being an interesting artistic experiment, and perhaps giving us a tiny window into Eminem's soul, this gets a 9/10.
    
11. 'Cinderella Man' – the first thing about this song that gets you with the backbeat is that this is a sports song. Not a rock anthem, but a song in the same league as the Space Jam theme. This is a song for a basketball or hockey game, or a high-powered boxing match. To quote, this is a song for MANLY MEN, OF MANLINESS, DOING MASCULINE THINGS. This song is PowerThirst distilled into lyric, and it is AWESOME.
    
    If anything, this is Eminem's triumphant return, and damn well he wants everyone to know it.
    
    To follow the album's theme, this is Eminem returning to the concert scene, stepping back onto the field, but not on the path of any other rapper, like in 'Seduction', but his own path. The harmonized chorus, guitar and pounding drums backbeat, and the cryptic 'if I had a time machine...' makes it seem like Eminem is pounding new ground, beating all the odds with his newest plan. Either way, the song's fucking amazing, and is officially my new 'get psyched' song with a healthy 10/10.
12. '25 to Life' – and following the theme, Eminem sings his break-up song in what seems to be a furious follow-up sequel to 'Space Bound' – except it's not. We think he's singing an anthem of rage towards the worst woman of his life – Kim – especially after the rest of the album has foreshadowed it. If anything, this song reminds me of 'Crazy In Love' with the female hook and Eminem's high-speed lyrical delivery. And I was actually setting myself up to be disappointed – after all of the lyrical and (apparently) emotional advances Eminem made, he was going after Kim again?
    
    And in the last lines of Eminem's verse, you realize it's not Kim he's railing against for irreparably changing his life – it's hip-hop. Suddenly this song doesn't feel like 'Crazy In Love' any more – if anything, it's more like 'Stan', where the crazed fan of the titular name kills himself for Eminem. This song is Eminem finally throwing down the gauntlet and seizing the reins from music, and coupled with the haunting female vocals, it makes Eminem sound like a prisoner who has finally broken free of the prison of his own making. It's a refreshingly invigorating song, and although the hook is a little long, it still resonates with incredible energy and depth. Not as memorable as 'Space Bound', but still disturbingly good. 8.5/10
    
13. 'So Bad' – you can tell this is the only song Dr. Dre worked on with Eminem, and unsurprisingly, Slim Shady makes one last desperate attempt to seize to control of Eminem's life by showing him the old life that he used to have that Eminem used to have – something that he has matured past. Unfortunately, it lacks the powerful introspective forces that have invigorated Eminem's last few songs and ultimately disappoints. The wordplay is slower, sloppier, and while the secondary hook is a great harmony, it doesn't do enough to redeem this song.
    
    What bothers me about this song is what it represents. While it's still a classic rap record in the same style of 'Old Time's Sake' or 'Crack A Bottle' (the latter of which isn't that great, in my opinion), Eminem's raps became more significant and meaningful that a song like this implies, and that weakens the theme of the album. So if anything, the song feels unnecessary on this album, only placed on to showcase Dre's presence (and remind us that Dre hasn't put out his promised album yet, and I'm starting to get Duke Nukem Forever vibes off of that release). It's better than 'On Fire', but not by much. 6/10
    
14. 'Almost Famous' – this song is creepy in the way that songs on the Marshall Mathers LP aspired to be, and as a callback to those years, it succeeds brilliantly. No questions asked, this is the sequel to Relapse's 'Underground', and it continues that darkly imaginative venture back to that era of underground rap.
    
    Now don't get me wrong, I really like this track, but it feels a little out of place, and not really fitting with the thematic progression. But then again, maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Eminem seems like he's resorting to the old-school underground rap (with extremely high production value, for irony) as a way of rapping violently without his Slim Shady persona, trying to regain his 'fame' and respect that way (he even calls it his 'new Slim Shady' – that's interesting). If anything, that seems a little redundant to me (he already clinched it with his earlier tracks), but I guess it works. It's sure as hell entertaining enough to see his high-powered wordplay and his speed leap back up to triple-octane again. 8/10
    
15. 'Love The Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)' – you know, it feels fucking weird for Eminem to do this. I mean, he dissed Rihanna, and now he's inviting her on a song (that will undoubtedly become a single) seems a little strange to me. But bring her in he does, and she sings one of the better hooks on the album, which surprisingly corresponds well to the choral progression in the chorus. It's genuinely good music writing. But that wasn't the most surprising thing on this song.
    
    No, this time, following the theme, Eminem deconstructs one of his own relationships (he's done that a lot on this album, interestingly) and this time, he's dealing with his own weakness and pain. But the way Rihanna sings this song, it's a little difficult to tell who is the real culprit in breaking the damaged relationship, built on a load of mistrust and misunderstandings. But most interestingly, it's Eminem who somehow manages to repair the relationship, even though it goes what he believes really happened. That's maturity, to some degree, and considering where Eminem's come from, a huge step.
    
    But here's the interesting thing that I'm noticing about the progression of this album. Many, if not all of the songs, are dealing with the feelings of being alone, and coping with that loneliness. From the very beginning of the album, Eminem is alone with his demons, but as the story progresses, he is slowly realizing that he doesn't have to be alone, and that while his talent has put him in an entire different realm of music, he's slowly coming to realize he could be a leader – a lonely road, to be sure, but it finally looks like Eminem is accepting that load of leadership. The fact he can state that and write a solid rap record are impressive to say the least. The song seems a little generic, but that's because it doesn't have the emotional push as some of the other tracks on the album. 8/10
    
16. 'You're Never Over' – and this was the song I was waiting for: the song for Proof, that Eminem couldn't write on Relapse, but now has finally finished. The climax of the album, where Eminem has finally faced all of his demons and emotions to become the leader of rap and hip-hop in the league of Tupac and Biggie. The rhetoric he's using in this song, encouraging other rappers and artists to follow him is powerful material reminiscent of Tupac's 'Changes', and the backing (a mix of rock and orchestral power) is one of his best.
    
    That the truly amazing thing is this: Eminem is not doing any of this for himself. He's doing it all for his best friend – Proof. The rapper who found Eminem, discovered him, and apparently gave him a reason to live when he was dying of the drug overdose, reminding him of Hailie and that he did have a reason to live. The heartfelt, blinding intensity of the rap, and the complete sincerity of Eminem's words is chilling. His final words in the verse, where he dedicates the song to Proof, you can feel his emotion, his grief, but his determination to carry on. The best song on the album, it's a 10.
    
17. 'Untitled' – and just when you thought the album might have ended, Eminem leaps out of the box in a crazy joke song that doesn't even have a title. Screwy, with a carnival atmosphere of insanity reminiscent of The Eminem Show, it's easily one of the most entertaining and hilarious songs Eminem's done in a long time. There's hardly any chorus to separate his verses as he delivers his send-off with his 'new Slim Shady' that is eerily similar to the degenerate 'old Slim Shady', except it's just not as evil. Sure, he swears like a sailor and it appears that the misogyny is back in full force, but now you know it's a facade and joke, and you're laughing at the joke of all of it, and so is Eminem.
    
    The wordplay's characteristically fast, but there's nothing really distinctive of it. Still, I'm a bit of a sucker for the 'carnival' songs, so I probably liked more than most. It almost reminded me of 'My Dad's Gone Crazy', except for a new generation. 8/10

So, what did I think of this album in total? Well, it was a hell of a lot more subtle than Relapse, that's for damn sure. Eminem has become the same dervish he was at the end of The Eminem Show, and though it took three albums to do it, it's been worth the wait. Frankly, the fact that a guy with as many issues as Eminem managed to pull it all together is impressive, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next album and the next box of surprises he's going to throw at us. The one thing I missed was the political raps (where was the dig at FOX News, man? It's an easy target and you could rip them a MASSIVE new one!), but I'm suspecting Eminem's saving those for 2012. After all, election years are great for stirring up controversy.

Average Rating for Eminem's Recovery: 8.1/10

 

Holy fucking SHIT that was a long post. I haven't even read it yet, but just wanted to say that.

I'll edit here once i've finished listening to the album, which should be reasonably soon.

 

Read most of the post, and I'm amazed at the effort you put into it. Nice job!

Here is my review: EminEm is the best rapper, and you should buy this awesome album. Coming from a cheapskate like me that's a huge compliment.

Going Through Changes (Sabbath and EminEm = Ear Orgasm)), Won't Back Down (Call of Duty + Eminem = Instant Buy) and Not Afraid are the best songs, but I didn't really find a bad song.

 

How long did it take you to type out that post? Did you write it into word first?

 

So I admit I skipped a lot of that but I looked at the rating you gave the songs and holy shit Cinderella Man is fucking :awesome.

 

I have long maintained that "Lose Yourself" was the best thing Eminem has ever put out. I still maintain that but "Not Afraid" is probably as close as he is ever going to get to besting Lose Yourself.

 

Listened to all of the songs today... First impressions, it's fucking ridiculously good.

Not Afraid, 25 to Life, and Cinderella Man are all impressive. Suprisingly, I can't get Almost Famous out of my head. Lol, felt out of place in the album, but holy shit, this song is ridiculous.

 

Its actually really really good, though for some reason, the song I can't stop listening to is Space Bound... fuck its a tune.

 

Ive heard some of the songs but i guess i have to listen to the rest of it

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq6-fVLcfFc

Not on Recovery, but, in my opinion, some of the most amazing rap to be produced in months. Listen to it with subs, and prepare yourself for 1:24, Em absolutely goes off.

 

I think my favorite song on the album was Space Bound, I listen to music for different things than most people, and that's the tune that really caught me the most.

I find it quite interesting to think about that relationship in the song to not be about Kim, but to be about his relationship with Drugs instead.

 

I kinda "Grew out" of Eminem after Encore... But damn this album has just gotten me hooked again. Pretty much every song is friggin' awesome... obviously the hits stand out at first, Love The Way You Lie with Rihanna, So Bad, No Love (Oh my, Haddaway & Eminem? It works ) & my favorite, Going Through Changes. Maybe my memory is shit but, I can't remember Eminem mixing it up with other songs before... but its just SO epic. And Ellisande, Space Bound is awesome. The chorus just... <3

Yeah pretty much every song is made of win.