Defsounds

I've been listening to Eminem's latest effort- - and undeniably one of the most anticipated records in the last 5 years, non-stop for about two straight weeks now. With many critics already handing this album the death sentence, it wasn't the easiest task to review it.

Should it be judged with the understanding of what the artist is presumably trying to accomplish or should it be judged as a standard release. I'm going to go ahead and mix it up a bit.

With the exception of The Re-up mixtape, Eminem has been out of action since 2004. Prior to his hiatus, Eminem remained in the public eye whether in good or bad form.

His albums, prior to Encore, were arguably all heavily introspective and informative in regards to his life. From problems with celebrities to problems with his family, Eminem bared his soul with no shame for his fans in his music.

So it was to no surprise what we expected to hear on Relapse. With everything that has happened in his life during his time away from music and the public, it's fair to say we were expecting the same self-exposing and at times self-deprecating story telling witnessed in his previous releases.

But, that's not exactly what was handed to us. Instead, we received a record reminiscent to that of the Slim Shady LP. Which in a sense, isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just that the Slim Shady LP was coming from an artist which we as listeners had no expectations from. So how does this album fair exactly?

Lyrics - 8.5

Eminem rarely disappoints when it comes to lyrics. His wordplay, flow, and technique on this album are uncanny. Mix, matching, bending, & stretching words for a smooth coherent flow that is constantly switched throughout the album is a feat not many artists are capable of.

It's a rare occurrence where you'll hear Em use the same style on a track throughout Relapse.

However, technical attributes aside, the lyrical content of the album, while at times amusing, takes away from the package.

The over-stuffing of ludicrous and outlandish subject matters actually leave a lackluster taste behind and at times leave you wondering what the hell the guy's talking about.

Production - 9.0

Songs- - 8.0

Arguably the weakest point of the album is the content of the songs. As previously mentioned, the majority of fans were awaiting something more than random killings, rapes, and drug use.

Relapse plays out like a concept album. A scary movie in which Marshall Mathers plays Slim Shady--rather an extreme version of the Slim Shady we've seen in the past.

The album opens up as he falls into a nightmare with "3 AM," from there, we're taken to the origins more or less of where Slim Shady came from--the result of a drug addict mother and a sexually abusive uncle found in "My Mom" and "Insane."

From "Bagpipes From Baghdad" through "Same Song & Dance," Em shows his psychotic feelings towards women--no doubt thanks to his upbringings by his drug addict of a mother.

After "We Made You," we're taken through the drug addiction he developed with "Medicine Ball," and "Stay Wide Awake."

We are slowly shifted back to the psychopath murderer Slim Shady with a hilarious verse from Em as Christopher Reeves in "Medicine Ball" and one of the most creative verses I've heard in an album so far this year in "Must Be The Ganja."

How many people you know who can name every serial killer who ever existed in a row.
Put em in chronological order, beginning with Jack The Ripper.
Name the time and place from the body, the bag the zipper.
Location of the woods where the body was dragged and then dumped.
The trunk that they was stuffed in. The model, the maker, plate, which lake they found em and how they attacked the victim.
Say which murder weapon was used to do what and which one, which knife, and which gun.
What kid, what wife, and what nun. Don't stop, I like this is fun, the night's just begun.

After warping back into Slim Shady--mind you Em is still in the aforementioned nightmare, we're treated to two tracks which one would hope lay the groundwork for Relapse 2.

In "Deja Vu," paramedics attempt to wake Em up from the nightmare he's in.

Em finally delivers the story we've been yearning to hear since he left. What's been going on with his life? Where has he been?..We get our answers here. We are walked through the development of his drug addiction and the effects it had on his life.

So I take vicodin splash, it hits my stomach then aah,
couple of weeks go by and it ain't even like I'm getting high
Now I need, is not to feel sick, yeah I'm getting by
Wouldn't even be taking this shit if DeShaun didn't die
oh yeah, there's an excuse, you lose Proof so you use
there's new rules, it's cool if it's helping you to get through
It's 12 noon, ain't no harm in self inducing a snooze
What else is new, fuck it what would Elvis do in your shoes
Now here I am 3 months later, full blown relapse
'Just get high until the kids get home, holmes, relax
and since I'm--convinced that I'm an Insom--niac
I need these pills to help me sleep, so I take 3 naps
just to be able to function throughout the day, lets see
that's an ambient each nap, how many Valiums 3?
and that would jot to about 3 hours sleep
ok so now you--see
the reason how come, he
has taken 4 years to just put an album, beats
see me and you, we almost had the same outcome Heath
cause that christmas, you know the whole pneumonia thing?
It was balognia, was it the methodonia think?

Em then continues with the inspirational ballad "Beautiful" which is reminiscent of "Sing For The Moment." Both amazing tracks with incredible messages.

Conclusion - 8.5

As I said in the intro, if put into the perspective of a concept album, this release plays out perfect.

Sadly, that's not the case-this isn't supposed to be a concept album for Eminem. It is his long awaited return to the genre that has so severely missed him over the last couple of years.

We got so little actual Eminem content and such a vast amount of psychopathic Slim Shady rhetoric that it felt a bit flat and lack luster.

Is it a bad album? Not at all. However, to fully appreciate it, you may have to listen to it more than once.

As I mentioned before, following the album from beginning to end, it plays like an origin story and ends on such a high note, you can't expect anything but good things for the sequel.

It is what Batman Begins is to The Dark Knight. It sets the stage and tone for the classic Relapse 2 may be.