Relapse

Product Details

Guess who’s back? Yep, five years on from Encore, and after successfully battling a lengthy prescription-pill addiction, Slim Shady has returned with a new album. Produced by long-time collaborator Dr. Dre, Eminem once again wears his heart on his sleeve, namedropping a slew of prescription drugs and describing their dire effects in no uncertain terms. Opening cuts "3am", "My Mom" (about how he turned into a pill junky like his mum), "Insane" (about paedophilia) and the quirky "Bagpipes From Baghdad" see Em firing on all cylinders, combining disturbing imagery and wry humour over solid (if slightly less-than-fresh) beats from Dre. The second half of the record fares less well. "Same Song & Dance" sounds--ironically--tired; the singles "We Made You" and "Crack A Bottle" rely on obvious, glossy hooks; and the songs about smoking marijuana ("Old Time's Sake", "Must Be The Gangja") are generally unimaginative--the sound of boxes being ticked. Tunes like "Déjà Vu" and "Beautiful" raise the bar again though, and while Relapse is a mixed bag, it’s genuinely good to be listening again to what is still one of rap’s most potent voices. --Danny McKenna