The Elephant In The Room Regarding The Recovery Album

I wrote in my original "Recovery" review that Em's bars weren't on the same level as earlier work like "MMLP".  After a few weeks with the album and some repeated listens, I think I'm in a position to elaborate on that further. 

If you've been listening to Eminem over the last 13 to 14 years, one thing that's been a mainstay in his music is his witty sense of humor, his meticulously structured delivery and his genius play on words.  There was never a wasted bar and every punchline had the velocity of a speeding freight train.  That's what made him such an undeniable talent; despite his nerdy, white trash image in a culture dominated by non-whites.  Let's just take a short look at some of his memorable lines.

My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge
That'll stab you in the head
whether you're a fag or lez
Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest
Pants or dress - hate fags? The answer's "yes"

Over the top, anti gay lyrics aside, this section is pieced together flawlessly. And that's not even one of the more "laugh out loud" lines on the album.  Check this

Which is it bitch, Mrs. Briggs or Ms. Mathers?
It doesn't matter your [attorney Fred Gibson's a] faggot!
Talkin about I fabricated my past
He's just aggravated I won't ejaculate in his ass

Between the multi's and internal rhymes, this is among the best Em has to offer.  Let's take a look at one more.

My man Stan wit a gat in his hand
Stakin my house out in a tan tinted Sedan
He pull your mouth out til you can't finish a damn
Ham sandwich, or your can spinach and Spam

I think by now we're getting the picture.  Let's take a look at a few punches off "Recovery". 

Whichever comes first, for better or worse
He's married to the game, like a fuck you for Christmas, his gift is a curse

That's from the first single "Not Afraid".  Here's another.

Cause the way I feel, I'm strong enough to go to the club
or the corner pub, and lift the whole liquor counter up
Cause I'm raising the bar

 This is also from "Not Afraid".  Here's one more.

So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof, like my daughters
and raise it, you couldn't lift a single shingle on it!

If you're noticing the pattern I'm getting at, it's clear what's changed between pre-"Recovery" Eminem and post-"Recovery" Eminem.  On the new album, Em does a lot of "If A......then B" punch lines.  They're simpler and easier as they require you to use the prior bar to make sense out of the next bar.  "Like a fuck you for Christmas, his gift is a curse".  Get it?  Where as before he would rely more on irony or wordplay to make his lines jump out you.  It's a drastically different writing style than what we've heard on his previous albums.  Even "Relapse", which got mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, seemed to have sharper writing.  I'm definitely not calling Em washed up because if you listened to the bonus song "Untitled", he absolutely snaps and sounds like 2001 Em all over again. 

Em's been through a lot over the last five years.  Battle with drugs, health problems, the lost of his best friends.  Those kinds of things can have an immense impact on one's creative process.  And let us not forget the one year turnaround between "Relapse" and "Recovery" is by far the shortest of his career.  I feel like his next project will see a triumphant return to form (and hopefully a return to the Dr. Dre collaborations.  They were missed this time around).