Eminem

Relapse marks Eminem’s return to the spotlight after a
self-imposed, drug-fuelled exile. After hearing the pair of singles
“Crack a Bottle” (with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent) and “We Made You,” there’s
no apparent signs of rust on this Detroit MC. The trio of tracks
“Déjà Vu,” “Medicine Ball” and the aptly titled “Same
Song & Dance” are amongst some of Em’s best. But even so,
Relapse feels somewhat like a colour-by-numbers effort: There’s
nothing here on these 20 tracks that we haven’t heard from Mr. Mathers
on previous outings (drugs, murder, hard childhood, yadda, yadda…).
Relapse is a good album, but far from being a classic.

This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2009.