Customer Reviews

Relapse [Explicit]

5 star:		(150)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

Okay, here we go with draft #101 of my ever-evolving review of this endlessly enjoyable album. Yep, that's right. Endlessly enjoyable. Sorry to disappoint kind readers who gave me points for feeling an internal struggle over this album in previous drafts, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Hence my now one-sided review which gives this album two thumbs up. For the principled and faint-hearted, this album will be too nasty to stomach. But the rest of us are in for a treat: tight raps, catchy beats, and hooks. Long-time Eminem fans, who "get" his signature vile sense of humor will know when to laugh and are surely callous now to disturbing tales of rape, murder, drug abuse, profanity, homophobic fantasies, and all-out lascivious. So if you've already been converted to the dark side, don't worry! You can handle it.

First off, this album is not only catchy, it is packed with a rage and ferocity only Eminem can summon, e.g. songs like "8 Mile," that are bursting with so much intensity they give you goosebumps. That is the vibe (only creepier) of this album and it's Eminem's signature sound; no one else does it quite like him. As a songwriter, I know that it is next to impossible to write material that is so striking; in fact, I've never achieved it, and that's why my hat goes off to Eminem. Eminem invested a lot in this album. Deep beneath all the profanity and sensationalism, all the flinging of every taboo in my face, I sensed an artist who just *had* to get it all out, an artist hell bent on expressing himself, freaking the bejesus out of everyone, and doing it all in the most ear-catching way musically possible.

Some people are criticizing this album as mere pandering to a sensation-starved public, but I disagree. The songs are just too potent. If it were mere mass-produced fluff, the material would sound apathetic and be easier to digest, but it isn't. Eminem keeps you guessing. It sometimes sounds like he's rapping for the masses, but more often it sounds like he's rapping for personal catharsis. Sometimes his raps are alarmingly direct, sometimes camped up and ironic. Lyrics pertaining to the exterior world, (pop culture references and social commentary), are intertwined with twisted, personal tales from deep inside his brain. Misogynistic stories are juxtaposed with statements of concern about his daughter and parenting. Tracks riddled with sleaze, innuendo, and silliness mingle with deep tracks about believing in yourself and finding purpose. At varying points he demands respect, makes fun of himself, or plays the victim. And when he spits a tight rhyme using an incongruently bratty, whiny, juvenile voice . . . yep, that's what I'm talking about. Who in the heck is this guy? Lesser artists are more transparent; you instantly know what they're all about. But with Eminem, his persona and tone are constantly in flux. Offensive as it may be, a riveting personality emerges from the madness.

In conclusion, buy this album to be guided by a mesmerizing MC with some of the best chops in the business who will lead you down a dark path you (hopefully) would never find on your own. Eminem is so good at conjuring up all the ugliness in our society that you feel confronted by it, you stare at it straight in the face. The experiencing is kind of jolting, definitely exhilarating. But Eminem's always been good at that. What I like about this album in particular is that he sounds less bratty going about it. I revisited the Slim Shady LP after listening to Relapse and found it (only slightly) annoying. On Relapse, Eminem tackles the dark tales with more imaginative scope and maturity. Another reviewer, J. Berger, felt that this album was more about "art for art's sake" and I think that sums it up. Eminem tackles the same old topics here, but the effect is more probing and less whiny. His voice even sounds a little deeper. I love it.

Eminem . . . if you read this . . . don't you think I maybe deserve an autographed Relapse for working ever so hard on this review and shining a bright light on the strengths of this, your latest and heavily contested album? Why don't your people call my people, etc. etc. ;)

An album like Encore would have destroyed any other rapper. Em has what it takes to get past it though. That said, I was still worried about how good Relapse was going to be as soon as I heard that it was actually coming out.

After the Marshall Mathers LP I never thought I would say this again, but this is by far the darkest album Eminem has ever put out. Almost every song has something to do with rape, murder or incest. By the time I got half-way through the album it was getting really old and kind of had me wondering if this guy should have ever left rehab.

Once it got to "Old Time's Sake" though, things started picking up again. I was actually feeling the songs a little bit. I was actually smiling by the end of it. The last four tracks are fantastic (not including the skit) and made me realize that he's gone through a lot the last few years and that's probably got a lot to do with how dark the first half is.

I think he had to get this album off his chest. It's nowhere near his best, but a lot has happened since the Eminem Show (first of all Encore, and then all his drug issues and probably some other stuff too) so you can't expect him to just pop out another classic like it's no big thing. This is a necessary step to him coming back, and even though it wasn't great, it ended well enough to where I'm convinced Relapse 2 is going to be some of his best work. If you haven't got it yet, don't buy the whole thing, just get a few tracks off of it. I recommend Bagpipes from Baghdad, My Mom, and Old Time's Sake and every song after it. Don't prove me wrong Em, I'm willing to look past this and Encore if Relapse 2 is going to be as good as I think it is.

*Oh and please, if you're going to vote or comment on this review, why don't you go back and listen to any of his albums before Encore and then listen to this. I'm not a fanboy or a hater. I just call them like I see them. Just read the above if you want to know what I think about this album, and keep your fanboy/hater garbage off my review. I'm here to seriously talk about music.

For one, if you don't like Eminem in the first place, don't review this album. And because he had a drug problem, You don't like him, ok? Second, don't base your review off of four singles, and 30 second clips. Everyone is comparing CD to CD. Think about this, SSLP was 10 years ago, MMLP was 9 years ago, TES was 7 years ago. He's older, things have changed, he can't make the SAME music from 10 years ago.

We Made You and Crack A Bottle don't fit into this album. So do not judge the CD on those two songs. The CD is sick and twisted, just what people wanted him to do. That's what he's doing. And it's not good enough. He does use the "accent" a couple times, but for example in 'Same Song & Dance' it works because he's portraying a stalker/killer, so it sounds believable. He brings up Mariah Carey, wow big deal. People are making such a huge deal about it. Why? It's not like he's talking about Triumpth and using the "voice" in a really stupid way. If you actually listen to the CD, you'll hear he doesn't use it that much.

Listen to the songs a few times, listen to the lyrics, read them if you have to. You will discover it's not as bad as people are saying.


Favorite songs:
Same Song & Dance
Insane
Underground
Beautiful
Deja Vu
My Mom
Hello
Stay Wide Awake


Again also people are complaining about the skits... Dr. West, Tonya, Paul, Steve Berman, Mr. Mathers, that there are too many, but Tonya, Dr. West and Mr. Mathers lead into the next song. And there is ANOTHER CD coming out in a couple months (hopefully) so stop whining about there not being a lot of songs, and too many skits.



If need-be listen to the 2 hour interview on Shade 45 of Eminem giving track-by-track information. Giving you a better idea and understanding of the songs.

When Eminem is talking about something relevant and productive, he is a phenomenal lyricist (ex. "Toy Soldiers," "Yellow Brick Road," "Mosh"), but then there are the ignorant, tacky, and ridiculous songs he has on this album, calling women out of their names in the worst way. Seriously, was it really necessary to call Mariah a c--t? Did you really have to make a song about molesters and men raping women? These are the songs that I'm assuming are supposed to be either a big joke, random thoughts, or subliminal messages, but the way he delivers them is like it's just another day. If the song about his mother is true, then that's truly messed up, but making fun of people who have real issues is twisted (and I don't mean that as the compliment he'd probably take it as). I listened to this CD first because I was hesitant to buy it, and I'm glad I did listen first because I don't want it, even as a gift.

Congrats to him on his Vibe #1 rapper voting, but I hope he steps his game up and stops talking about these random, menacing topics and brushing them off as jokes. And I surely do hope he doesn't pass that type of sense of humor down to his daughter. Not cool.

Eminem's "Relapse" is a rare thing, a hip hop album that dares to both examine personal issues, in this case, drug addiction, while being as creative as possible. As such, we can be stunned with the occasional perversity of his newest work, be it the incest, graphic violence, sexual assault, and Christopher Reeve jokes, each a bit more extreme than the last, at least for the first half of the album. But that's Eminem's dark sense of humor at work; none of the graphic elements are meant to be taken seriously, a point I hope people keep in mind.

The amusing skit, "Dr. West" segues beautifully into "3 am", a lyrically masterful song, where Eminem rhymes at a rapid-fire pace to Dr. Dre's eerie, horror film-inspired beat. Here we see Eminem's imagination at work, creating an engrossing story that references his real drug problems using the extended metaphor of Slim Shady's murder rampage. The majority of the following songs use a similar theme.

"Old Time's Sake" begins the second, less fictional part of Relapse, with Eminem and Dr. Dre teaming up to enjoy a pleasant smoke together. The track, with a very 90's-era sounding beat, brings a sort of nostalgia, quite fitting with the reflective elements that make up the end of Relapse. "Deja Vu" is the most brilliant moment of the album, with Eminem detailing a near-fatal drug-fueled crash while simultaneously giving a darkly comedic slant to everything simply by his frank, personal descriptions of everything. "Beautiful" follows, a pleasantly bright spot in the sea of the album's dark material, with enough optimism to pick up the listener after so many heavy elements. "Underground" ends the album on a seriously strong note, directly addressing the world in a flurry of lyrics that illustrate why Eminem is so respected in his profession to begin with.

I enjoy this album more after each listen. Do yourself a favor and purchase the whole thing. I can't wait for Relapse 2.

Must Download/Listen:
Deja Vu
Beautiful
3 A.M.
Underground

I was generally excited to hear Em was putting out another disc, hoping he'd make up for the crap sandwich that was Curtain Call. No such luck.

What I take away from this cd is we've got here a terminal patient, flailing about on his death bed, unwilling to just let it go and pass on.

The beats are sooooo tired, the production crap, the spastic rants are pathetic and his voice---what up with the voice?? Sometimes he hits it, but most times not--Triumph the dog vocals I do not need. Why did I buy this thing??

Gone is the humor (at least the good humor) and wit, to be replaced by the rantings of a certified sicko. A real psychopath who, now that his meds have worn off, is quite disgusting.

I am sorry he had such a horrid childhood, really i am. much sympathy to him. But I do not want that pathological poison he seems unwilling to let go of pounded into my ears. enough already with mental illness with a beat.

Insane in the membrane. Not amusing to me at all. I give it two stars in the hope that he checks himself into a REAL facility and gets the help he needs.

He should give Steve-O a call--- maybe he can help.

Curtains please...

The year of 2009 seems to have reversed the trend of sloppy music which characterized the last three of four years of hip hop. Jadakiss and Rick Ross both released solid(if somewhat uninspired) albums. Following on the heels of these releases, Eminem's "Relapse" seems surprisingly risky. There are no catchy singles on the album which compare to the rapper's previous chart-scaling efforts, just solid hip hop throughout. More importantly, Relapse represents the rapper attempting to come to terms with his tumultuous personal life--Proof's death, his daughter and mother, all leave their imprint on this album.

This takes me back to the days when I first heard The Slim Shady LP. I remember how off-the-wall it was and the way it felt like a breath of fresh air. If you can remove the memories of past albums from your mind and listen to this as if it's your first time hearing Eminem, it's almost like you can relive it.

When I first heard Stay Wide Awake, it reminded me of the feeling I got after Role Model made its way through my speakers. It was just different and gripping. The cadence on this track is powerful. The beat is in a death-grip that isn't released until it has been drained when the third and final verse comes to a close.

These are the kind of records that will keep me checking for future releases. They keep me wondering how Relapse 2 will turn out. It's like the result of watching too many late night horror flicks. The way that Wu Tang was influence by those old Kung-Fu screenings. You got the beats/samples along with the themes/lyrics. It's the same concept with a slasher twist. It isn't just the words, it's the music as a whole. Even the skits are dark.

It's good to have Shady back in an actual experience to take you through, instead of just an alter ego to exploit.

Let's just say I was disappointed with Eminem's previous album, Encore, and was forced to wait far too long for something special, new. Finally it's here. And I couldn't be happier.

For any who were wondering, the old Slim Shady is back. Some of the nastiest, angriest lyrics I've ever heard are here.

Kicking off the album, a disturbing intro, "Mr. West", and to be honest it really suits this CD well. Marshall must have had some serious problems to overcome to make this. Anger oozes from every crevice of this CD.

Dr Dre's influence can really be heard in the beats throughout this album. They're reminiscent of his "2001" album, especially on tracks "My Mom", "Old time's sake", and "Must be ganja".

"Bagpipes from Baghdad" has a completely new sound, and yeah, it's exactly what you think.

The last track, "The Underground", sounds like Eminem's rapping to Nightwish, lol. This track may not be for everyone, but I'm really diggin' it.

Overall, my favorites are My Mom, Hello, Same song and dance, Old Time's Sake, and Underground. This is Shady's old gambit come back to life of drugs, sex, and anger set to some of the hottest beats around.

I stopped listening to Eminem after Encore. I didn't stop liking him; I just didn't listen to him in the five years between that album and the release of this one. When Relapse was released, I remembered the love I once had for Eminem, downloaded the album, and threw it on my iPod. Listening to snippets of each song, I was bothered by his heavy use of accents, attributed that to just growing out of him musically, and deleted it. Once Recovery came out, I found my love for Eminem renewed and decided to give Relapse another shot. Relapse was Eminem's first album in five years and it was a successful comeback album, winning him Grammy awards and selling millions of copies. Eminem has since expressed his disapproval of the album and when an album is as successful as Relapse and an artist still expresses their unhappiness with it, something must be wrong. Sitting down to listen to Relapse, I expected something mediocre and found myself surprised.

The album has 20 tracks, 15 of which are actual songs, and 12 of those 15 have Eminem rapping in some type of accent. Despite the appearance of actor Dominic West and the way the skits tie together to create the feel of a concept album, I have nothing much to say about the skits...They're amusing at times, but I delete them off my iPod once I listen to the album. With that said, I'll discuss the songs.

While his lyrics do touch on the subject of his mother, his drug addiction, and his recovery much of the lyrics on Relapse detail murder fantasies and feature an extensive amount of celebrity name-dropping. It's Eminem's darkest album lyrically and a complete departure from the three studio releases that preceded it. The more I've listened to Relapse, the more it reminds me of The Slim Shady LP. Both are completely different albums, but Relapse resembles that album more closely than any other Eminem album and is likely the closest thing Eminem has done or ever will do to that record.

Listening to the album several times, there's not a single weak track on the album although at first I thought so. I initially couldn't stand the track "3 a.m.," but I now find it delightfully macabre. "My Mom" is very reminiscent of TSSLP, with lyrics that alternate between lame ("Now I'm on what I'm on cause I'm my mom") and clever ("...Then I fall in bed/With a bottle of meds/And a Heath Ledger bobblehead"). "Insane" is a song that is pure shock value, with a really cool beat that sounds like a remixed horror film score. "Bagpipes from Baghdad" is a witty, catchy track that began the Eminem-Maria Carey feud and the song itself exists somewhere between Encore and The Eminem Show.

"Hello" and "Same Song & Dance" (the latter being a murder fantasy about Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears) are good tracks, but not incredibly memorable. "We Made You" was one of the singles and it's a fun, fast, witty, and infectious track with a chorus by Charmagne Tripp that works remarkably well. It's also one of the only songs that appear to really work with the accent.

"Medicine Ball" is a blatantly offensive; not-to-be-taken seriously rap that actually has Eminem rapping as Christopher Reeve at one point. Next we have another murder fantasy ("Stay Wide Awake" which has a very memorable chorus), two "fun" songs featuring guests ("Old Times Sake" with Dr. Dre and "Crack a Bottle" with Dre and 50 Cent), a very catchy "fun" song ("Must Be the Ganja"), two of Eminem's most personal tracks ("Déjà vu" and "Beautiful"), and arguably the best track on the album ("Underground").

"Déjà vu" is the only track that has Eminem rapping about his drug addiction and "Beautiful" is the most personal track on the album; both, coincidentally, feature Eminem rapping in his real voice. But if you're looking for the deeply personal Eminem we all know and love, this is not the album for you. If all of Eminem's previous albums were non-fictional, this is his first fictional record. While murder fantasies are prevalent throughout the record, tracks like "Must Be the Ganja" and "Crack a Bottle" do bring a little bit of light to the dark record Eminem has created here.

As I said, there's not a weak track here...But my favorite tracks are Déjà vu, Beautiful, and Underground, all of which have him rapping in his normal voice. While I do prefer Eminem's style of rapping on Recovery, this album is actually a solid, eclectic effort from the rapper. His extensive use of accents extensively throughout the album may bother some, but it's a style that suits the morbid, dark subject matter much better than his normal voice would have. I can't say where this album ranks in the Eminem cannon, but it's a great album that only got better the more I listened to it. For me, this album solidifies Eminem's staying power in the rap genre and shows a rapper willing to experiment with his art. Who else could make an album with several murder fantasies that also happens to be witty and fun at the same time?

GRADE: A-