New Eminem "Recovery" pre-release review

This week I was given an advance promo copy of the new Eminem album "Recovery". The album is a very introspective work, with the bulk of the material focusing on Emimen's recovery from drug addiction, hence the title. The album features a lot of singing, which makes it stand out from most hip hop records. The first single, "Not Afraid" expresses Eminem's sentiment of confidence in his first post-recovery release and in his decision to record an album which features a stong anti-drug message. The album's message is focused on the pain and struggles Eminem faced as he juggled his career with his recuperation from an addition that almost cost him his life. Most of the lyrics throughout the album tell Eminem's personal story as a recovering drug addict, and his feelings about his return to artistic form with his new record.

Among the highlights of the album is the inclusion of guest vocal performances by Liz Rodrigues on two tracks, "25 To Life" and "Almost Famous". Her commanding vocal performances remind me of Kirsty Hawkshaw (a frequent collaborator with Tiesto). "Almost Famous" is by far the most potent track on the entire album. Eminem raps about the way the public's perception of success in the entertainment industry is based on popular illusions about life in the public eye. The song reflects how Eminem's success contributed to his drug addiction which almost killed him. Liz Rodrigues sings the chorus, "You dream of trading places, I have been changing faces, you cannot fill these shoes, there is too much to lose, i wake up behind the trenches, you run around defenseless, there is too much to lose, you cannot fill these shoes, "I just Wanna be famous... but be careful what you wish for". The vocals are delivered in a "warning" tone of voice which is what Eminem is trying to achieve with this track... an attempt at making the public understand the danger of getting "drunk on success" so to speak, spiraling out of control, and the risks involved with doing so... the destruction of one's life or even worse, potential death. This is the most single-worthy tracks on the album thanks to haunting backing music, excellent songwriting, and a powerful performance.

On 25 To Life, Liz Rodriguez's chorus vocal is reminiscent of Kristy Hawkshaw's breakout hit "It's A Fine Day" which was recorded with Opus III. She sings very spiritually and her contribution helps make this one of the most memorable tracks on the album. This is one of the slower songs on the album, though it would work really well at radio. Throughout the song, Liz vamps "Too late...Too late..." as eminem raps about his drug addiction. At the end of the song he goes as far as to close with "Fuck you hip hop... I'm leavin you, my life sentence is served".

Two of the other songs with the best chances of being radio hits are "No Love" and "You're Never Over". "No Love" features a guest rap performance by Lil' Wayne and the song revolves around a vocal and instrumental sample of Haddaway's 1992 Euro-dance/pop hit "What Is Love" helping to make the song catchy and instantly memorable to audiences. "You're Never Over" also has mainstream hit potential thans to a recognizable vocal chorus sample from Gerard Mcmann's 1980's hit song "Cry Little Sister"... which most people will recognize as the theme song to "The Lost Boys", a classic vampire movie with Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Jami Gertz.

Another of the standout anti-drug tracks is "Talkin 2 Myself" where Eminem directly addresses his audience to speak about his feelings about how his addiction detracted from his artistry, and he issues an apology to those who may have found his last two albums lackluster, "Encore i was high on drugs, relapse I was flushin' em out, Ive come to make it up to you now no more fuckin around, I got something to prove to the fans cause i feel like i let em down, so please accept my apology I finally feel like I'm back to normal". The song features a guest chorus by singer Kobe.

Two additional noteworthy collaborations warranting mention are "Love The Way You Lie" which features Rihanna, and "W.T.P." featuring P!nk. Interestingly, though these two songs feature the most prominent guest performers on the album, they are largely overshadowed by the aforementioned potential hit singles. They are great songs, but possess less radio airplay potential than the songs I've already listed. "W.T.P." stands for "White Trash Party" and the song is a midtempo track with some rock influences. "Love The Way You Lie" is a slow song, and the instrumentation sounds somewhat reminiscent of Rihanna's song "Umbrella".

Overall the album is a courageous anti-drug-addiction message to followers, and a step forward in Eminem's artistic evolution.