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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
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
Review
Since 2004's Encore it's been a difficult five years for Eminem. The rapper's painkiller addiction and reclusive behaviour which followed best friend Proof's murder threatened to end Marshall Mathers' career for good. Given this bleak period and Em's penchant for violent imagery and misanthropic themes, fans may imagine Relapse to be a tough listening experience.
On first song 3AM Dr Dre's slasher-movie score synths mirror Em's tale of murder and amnesia. Lyrically, it's brutally evocative with a Silence Of the Lambs reference and lines like, ''Wake up naked at McDonald's covered in blood again'' and, ''Put the key in my door/bodies laying all over the floor''.
On My Mom the MC who first complained about said parent on 1999 hit My Name Is correctly states ''I know you're tired about hearing about my Mom''. But he continues, ''What kind of Mom wants her son to grow up as an underf******achiever?'' If that profanity seems shoehorned in there's no shortage of it throughout Relapse. It's an angry work.
Insane suggests Mom may have turned a blind eye to abuse from a step-father with the pitch-black couplet: ''One night he walked in and said ''I want my **** sucked in the shed/ can't I play Teddy Ruxpin instead?''.
Medicine Ball sees Slim Shady mimic paralysed Superman actor Christopher Reeves to say ''Let's breakdance'' amid the sleekest production on the record.
Incongruous single We Made You is the album's only real commercial moment and a hilarious dissection of fame, all Bugsy Malone piano loops, references to Amy Winehouse's marital troubles and sung chorus.
Two rare frivolous tracks, Old Times' Sake and Must Be The Ganja, are serviceable smoking anthems, with the former seeing Dr Dre rap ''If at first you don't succeed, won't hurt to smoke some weed''.
This sixth album from Detroit's superstar is typically uncompromising and full of characteristically spiky humour. Relapse is as honest, funny, assured and well-produced as anyone would expect from Eminem and Dr Dre. The only real fault is evident when comparisons are made. It's a great album but on a musical and emotional level Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak is undeniably fresher. --Lou Thomas
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guess who's back, back again, Shady's back, tell a friend,
By Madonna Fan 1988 (Hertfordshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Relapse (Audio CD)
What a massive comeback album! From the fast-paced lyrical prowess of "3 a.m." to the almost pop-friendly "Crack a Bottle" which features rap heavyweights Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Favourite songs on the album have got to be: "Hello", "Same Song & Dance", "Beautiful" and the first single "We Made You". Only disappointing factor on the album for me is the inclusion of "My Mom" - which, in my humble opinion, is a disatrous attempt from Slim Shady to verbally attack his mother (whether it's true or false what he sings). Worth buying definitely! Better than Encore and D12 World but nowhere near as a masterful and compelling as The Marshall Mathers LP. Long live you Em, you rule man!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for everyone,
By
This review is from: Relapse (Audio CD)
Having first really got into Em just before Encore I had to go backwards to experience his previous work. From then TSSLP became my favourite with TMMLP following just behind. I thought that the eminem show was good but not there with either of the 2 previous albums, however I felt that encore was as good as the eminem show.
This album is very similar to TSSLP in terms of Em's feelings and the way he expresses them, but for me RELAPSE cannot be compared to any of his other albums. It is mind blowing, terrifying, inspiring, homophobic and controversial all at the same time; but in a different way from the rest of his work. RELAPSE is not for everyone, many long time slim shady fans will hate it and others will name it his best album he's ever made. Personally I think that this is an album worth of legendary status but that it will never achieve it due to its lack of chart toppers, a must buy for any Em or hip hop fan. One thing is for certain. Slim Shady, Ken kaniff and Eminem are back; in that order.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic!!!,
By Well that's obvious (Like im telling you that) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Relapse (Audio CD)
The beats on this album are kickass and Em spits some sick lyrics. At first I wasn't that impressed but after a few listens i've fallen in love with it. Can't wait for relapse 2. He's back!!!
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