Around twelve years ago, I remember purchasing two copies of Eminem’s commercially successful “The Slim Shady LP,” and promptly placing one on permanent position in my car’s CD changer, and the second in the one at home. They stayed present and accounted for in both for some time, and there have only been a few albums that’ve received similar treatment in my music-listening life. A few come to mind, including N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton,” Public Enemy’s “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back,” Pearl Jam’s seminal “Ten,” and STP’s “Purple.”
So as I listen to Em’s latest record, “Recovery” from 34,000 feet en route to Seattle from Phoenix tonight, I can’t say that it’ll get the same play, but I can definitely say that it’d get the “I’m not rushing to this track or that one” play. Now I’ve never really gotten into the concept album or some that get too into the “story” flow, but think this is one of the more well put-together records as far as track order goes. Additionally, the one-at-a-time way we all buy music these days has been all but decimating to the “there’s three songs that are good hidden somewhere on here” albums, and this isn’t one of them. Hell, Reuters is even suggesting that the industry needs something like Em’s “Recovery,” badly.
From the moment that you reach the “Don’t Hurt Me” sample on track nine, “No Love,” you realize the man is not messing around. Leave Weezy until nine songs in? Takes Balls. Sure, we’ve all heard “Not Afraid,” which wins the prize for smart marketing move as the first single, but there’s a hell of a lot to hear beyond it.
Eminem has always brought it when it comes to lyrical prowess. He’ll, even non-fans could probably tell you that. What I’m digging on is his ability to go from asking where Kanye is to get some weak MCs off stage into a moment of self realization in a song like “Space Bound.”
Talk trash about Auto-tune one minute and have it on another song? On it. Tell people your last album is trash? On it. Guest appearance from Pink? On it. Beats for the Jeeps? Yep. Everlast-sounding guitars mixed with solid beats? Oh yeah.
Ken Kaniff from Connecticut? Nope. Cage disses? Nope. Voicemails from Paul Rosenberg? Nope. Updated murders of Kim? Nope.
Know why?
He doesn’t need them anymore.