Ann 2
Alain
JennYEminem - Relapse Album Review
May 21st 2009 04:39
Genre: Hip hop
Length: 76:05
Label: Aftermath, Interscope, Shady
After a five-year absence marked by personal tragedies and a severe case of drug abuse, Eminem has returned with the release of Relapse, the first of two albums coming out this year. Since we here on the site are big fans of Eminem's work, this review will be somewhat different. Instead of having one writer focusing on the album, each track will have our thoughts and we'll both write a 'final word' paragraph where we give our score. We warn you though. This is a long read so you better get comfortable.
1. Dr. West (skit)
Ann's thoughts: It is tradition to have an Eminem record start out with a short intro or skit. From The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP's "Public Service Announcement" to the "Curtain Call" in both The Eminem Show and Encore, all of these short tracks evoke the albums' main themes and tones. Here we get a skit where Eminem's about to be released from rehab. From his dialogue, Em's taking his sobriety seriously but the doctor doesn't care either way. The meeting is revealed to be all a bad dream as Em wakes up. So basically, we'll be dealing with his drug abuse and some sort of horror/nightmarish show.2. 3 AM
Ann: The third single, 3 AM, re-introduces the audience to the psychotic killer side of Eminem/Slim Shady with an ominous intro:“There's no escaping
There's no place to hide
You scream someone save me
But they don't pay no mind
Goodbye”
Later on, the dark chorus exposes the character's state of mind as Eminem goes:
“It's 3 A.M. in the morning
Put my key in door
With bodies all over the floor and
I don't remember how they got there
But I guess I must have killed them, killed them.”
Although Em's delivery is masterful with great rhymes in every verse (he hits you hard with an impressive rhyming sequence in the first five lines and never lets up), his annoying voice - a far cry from his trademark nasal tone – makes this song a pain to listen to until you get used to it. When listening to it along with the video however, the song is a lot more tolerable as you really get to understand the vibe around the track. It's probably the best track out of the five released singles, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing.
Alain: Of course, with Dr. Dre's production on the back, you know what you're going to find in this ride. Eminem brings something average but different – not the gangster hip-hop that we've been hearing for a while, nor the Auto-Tune R&B we've also been hearing. Using his consistent rhyming flow, he kills the track, talking about insane murders taking place at night. The video is sort of like a scary movie – blood bath, slit throats, mental asylum, etc.
3. My Mom
Ann: As the title says, My Mom is a song about Eminem's mother and her drug abuse. On this track, the rapper explains how his mother got him into drugs by putting it in his food and whatnot. According to him “My Mom loved Valium and lots of drugs / That's why I am like I am 'cause I'm like her.” Here, he returns to his Eminem Show / Encore voice, so this song is sort of like a return to familiarity.Alain: I guess we're not finished hearing about Debbie Mathers. The beat is a big Dre bass as usual. It's dope but doesn't really fit with the subject matter. Eminem's stories are so funny sometimes, not because they're bad or anything, they're just funny. In the first verse, he talks about life during his high-school years. You can truly see his rhyming skills in this track, there's a rhyme almost every second, so it's dope.
4. Insane
Ann: Insane paints another picture of his dreadful childhood, putting his stepfather's (imaginary?) sexual abuse as the cause of his insanity. The song and lyrics are old Eminem with plenty of images that will disgust anyone not used to his material. Long-time fans, on the other hand, will eat it up.Alain: Insane's beat is average. Eminem starts by talking about his stepfather. This track is pretty average, from lyrics to beat.
5. Bagpipes From Baghdad
Ann: Like his two previous songs where the first verse was dedicated to a person (his mother in My Mom, his stepfather in Insane) whereas the next verses were a lot more random in subjects (mostly his psychotic behavior), Bagpipes From Baghdad starts with a diss on Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon before running off in other tangents. The bagpipes on the instrumental bring a refreshing touch to the production which was sagging a bit by this point due to a repetitive sound. It goes to show that having a single producer on your album isn't always a good idea no matter how legendary he is. The use of the auto-tune with an Arab-like tonality at the end of the song was a nice touch.Alain: Here, the beat sounds like an Arabic anthem with the usual Dr. Dre drum loops. On the first verse, Eminem talks about his relationship with Mariah Carey and takes a little swipe at Nick Cannon. Nick responded to the diss but we won't get into that... This song gets boring the more and more you listen to it. The Doctor didn't operate well on this one.
6. Hello
Ann: Co-produced by Mark Batson, Hello also has a certain freshness that the other songs don't (apart from Bagpipes). This track deals with drug abuse mixed with a drinking problem. It's almost the same concept as “Drug Ballad” in The Marshall Mathers LP. Eminem's weird accent is absent from this one and the lyrics are pure genius. The chorus is the only thing bringing the song down but it's definitely one of the best. Alain: The song starts with Dre's big kicks and Eminem using a robot voice. If you don't have anything important or truly gangster to say, don't use a Dr. Dre beat. This was just a waste of a big Dre beat. I'm sorry but I find this track boring.
7. Tonya (skit)
Ann: Tonya is a simple skit that serves as an intro to the following track. There's nothing to say about it really.Alain: In Tonya, we hear a woman following a man into his car. She's apparently lost. You hear duct tape getting stretched out, screams, to be continued...
8. Same Song & Dance
Ann: From the previous skit, Em grabs a woman who needed help at the side of the road and proceeds to murder her. The song is basically about the murder of three women – Tonya, Lindsay, and Britney. There's a good rhyme scheme here again, but I just didn't feel this song. It's probably because the guitar part of the beat sounded frighteningly similar to the opening notes of Metallica's “One.” I kept expecting Kirk Hammett to bust out his solo.Alain: Like Hello, Same Song & Dance sounds boring. It feels like the doctor is losing his skills. The beat sounds like a recycled library. Yes, Eminem does have some great wordplay in it, but an average beat for this kind of rapper is just sad.
9. We Made You
Ann: We Made You is a cartoony single in the veins of “My Name Is,” “The Real Slim Shady,” “Without Me,” “Just Lose It” and “My Band” except this one is nowhere as good as the previous singles. Lyrically, there's nothing wrong with this track but his voice just annoys the heck out of me. What's worse is that after a couple of listens, the chorus somehow implants itself in your brain and you start to hum the song as soon as it's done. I guess that makes it an effective single.Alain: We Made You is seriously one of the worst songs I've heard this year – definitely not going in the MP3 player. This was a waste of studio hours. Again, the beat is average, annoying but average. Eminem is also annoying. It's not as bad as the first time I heard it but it's definitely not good.
10. Medicine Ball
Ann: In Medicine Ball, Em raps,“I guess it's time for you to hate me again
Let's begin, now hand me the pen
How should I begin it and where does it all end?
The world is just my medicine ball, you're all in”
But I just found the track kinda average. Sure, he has some great lines but you have to wonder when he's gonna drop the cartoon act and stick with the dark/twisted persona like in 3 AM or “Amityville” or “American Psycho.” His high-pitched voice combined with ridiculous rape situations and pee jokes gets old pretty fast. The Christopher Reeves verse was a nice throwback to his career since he has mentioned the now deceased actor in almost every album.
Alain: Here, the beat is a banger, but Eminem's voice is a little weird and consequently messes up the beat. The instrumental doesn't sound like one Em would've used. It sounded more like a 50 Cent type or other gangster rapper type of beat.
11. Paul (skit)
Ann: The return of Paul Rosenberg is a bright spot in the album as he criticizes the story in Insane and reminds him that Christopher Reeves is dead. This skit definitely brings out a chuckle.Alain: Everyone, Paul's skit is funny. He basically disses the album in a hilarious manner.
12. Stay Wide Awake
Ann: Despite the accent, this is a great song. The chorus is its weakest part. Some people might not be comfortable with the song's concept but Eminem rapping as a killing rapist just works. The song is dark and ominous and the title is a clear warning.Alain: Stay Wide Awake's beat is kinda dark but smooth at the same time. Eminem spits his original flow. This track can pass as a good one, but Em doesn't say anything interesting, just bullshitting on the track. The chorus is pretty average. He must've used the computer to change his voice and the switch is pretty bad. Still, this song gets passing marks.
13. Old Time's Sake (feat. Dr. Dre)
Ann: Don't ask me why but the intro of this song reminded me of “Business” from The Eminem Show. Like the title says, this is a track for old time's sake – a back-and-forth between Em and Dre like in “Guilty Conscience” and “Say What You Say.”Alain: This track brings good memories. Even though we know Eminem wrote all the lyrics, Dre still kills the beat with his flow. Seriously, for me, this is one of the best beats of the album. Eminem also does his thing on the track, so there's nothing to complain about. The chorus is dope. I'm definitely putting it in my MP3 player.
14. Must Be The Ganja
Ann: This is another average track. Although the album is brilliant lyrically-wise, here it seems like Em tried too hard to insert rhymes everywhere. It works but the song doesn't flow as well as the others. Alain: This song has the same problem as Medicine Ball, it's not the type of beat for Eminem to rap on. This kind of track is for the studio gangster. Eminem is a psycho, not a gangster. But the chorus is flawless.
15. Mr. Mathers (skit)
Ann: Mr. Mathers is a skit about his overdose. It serves as an intro to the next track.Alain: Mr. Mathers had an overdose, the doctors are trying to bring him back.
16. Deja Vu
Ann: Deja Vu is probably the realest track on this album. Here, Eminem talks about his drug abuse, his weight problem, and his relapse. It's a great song. The instrumental is quiet enough so that he doesn't have to spit like maniac who drank twelve cups of coffee (see We Made You). Instead, every line is a revelation and every verse is part of the same story.Alain: As soon as I heard the beat, I could hear Eminem kill it, but then he comes on with this ugly voice... I'm like WTF... he could've murdered this beat but his voice changed it all.
17. Beautiful
Ann: The fifth single of the album, Beautiful, is another introspective track where Eminem says yet again that no one can understand what his life has been like. I didn't like the singing in the chorus, but whatever, I guess singing choruses is his new thing.Alain: It's the dopest song on the album yet. A true song, not gangster, though I didn't get why he had to sing in the chorus. Here, Eminem found his true flow.
18. Crack A Bottle (feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent)
Ann: When I first heard this track I was excited as hell. Eminem seemed to be truly back even though the version I had heard was a working project with Eminem on all the verses and no sign of Dre and 50. The guest appearances definitely improve the song overall. In this era of collaborations where artists find more success by appearing on others' records instead of their own, Relapse seemed pretty bare in terms of collaborations. The instrumental on this track is definitely one of the best on the album, second only to Bagpipes From Baghdad. Alain: I'm going to keep it short. The sample is dope. Dr. Dre's voice is dope. 50 Cent was useless on this track.
19. Steve Berman (skit)
Ann: Paul Rosenberg isn't the only member of Eminem's management team to re-appear on this album. Steve Berman also gets his own skit where he criticizes Eminem's absence and calls him a selfish man. While writing this, I just realized: didn't Eminem kill Steve on one of his previous records? The Eminem Show perhaps? Anyways, moving on. 20. Underground / Ken Kaniff
Ann: “A lot of people ask me... where the fuck I've been at?” The end of the sentence may have changed but the opening stayed the same and long-time fans know what to expect of a track that starts with this sentence. This is an EPIC song. Dre brought out a great instrumental and Em delivered on the mic. Still, you can't help but feel that another rapper could've done a better job at murdering the beat. Give this instrumental to any one of the Army Of The Pharaohs guys and they would've killed it. Another familiar figure returns at the end of the track as Ken Kaniff busts out the chorus of We Made You in his own pedophile/homosexual way just like he did “Without Me” in The Eminem Show.Alain: The beat is way too loud in the chorus. Em's voice also doesn't flow with the beat. The instrumental is dope but not for Eminem. The song is followed by a short skit where Ken Kaniff sings We Made You but makes it about little kids.
Final Word
Ann: Relapse is simply mind-boggling to me. After Encore, I thought Eminem was done then he came out with the Re-Up album showcasing the Shady crew. On that album, he had two tracks – "No Apologies" and "Public Enemy #1" – that were simply amazing. I was expecting his next album to be as great, if not better, than those tracks. Although Relapse is far from his best, it's not that bad either, and that's just confusing.Lyrically, Relapse is top-notch. If it came down to his rhyming skills then this album would've had a near perfect score. Unfortunately, the rest of the production isn't as great. As much as I love Dr. Dre, he is getting a bit repetitive. It didn't seem like he had poured his energy into making those beats (or maybe Eminem just chose the worst beats and saved the best for Relapse 2). So, the album gets a 4 out of 5 from me - 4.75 for the lyrics, 2.5 for the music itself, and I bumped it up a little because it's at least better than 85% of the mainstream stuff out there.
Alain: A lot of fans and hip-hop heads have been eagerly anticipating the release of Relapse. Among them were those asking, “where has Eminem been, is his latest album can already be considered a classic, can he still rock the mic?” What should the rapper do when people put the life Hip-Hop on his shoulders? Everybody is expecting a classic comeback. Is it what happened?
The answer is no. I'm sorry people, but this is not what I was waiting for, after 3-4 years of silence. It could've been a little better. To the people who are already calling it a classic, I'm sorry but you are simply retarded. This does not come close to a classic album. The beats are all the same. The flow is the same (I know his flow is insane but still). I give it a 7.5/10, maximum 8. Yes, it's better than what's out now, but Eminem is supposed to be at a higher level than himself, not other rappers. If this was his first album, I would understand but I know that Eminem is truly greater than this album he dropped. And I'm an Eminem fan, so don't come talking trash about how I hate Eminem. He is in my all-time Top 5 rappers, but come on, music is still music for any artist.
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