这是阿姆有史以来情绪张力最强的一张嘻哈大碟!把「Relapse」续集计划丢到一边没在怕,以全新创作专辑【Recovery】复出。 10年来,阿姆从底特律的街头痞子摇身一变成为风靡全球的超级巨星,他的出现,让嘻哈音乐变成主流唱片市场中最受欢迎的音乐类型,阿姆是美国唱片市场上过去10年来最畅销的专辑艺人,他的历年专辑累计在全球卖出超过8000万张,除了在商业市场拉出长红,阿姆在葛莱美奖的征战纪录也十分耀眼,累计获得26项提名,勇夺11座大奖,其中包括以『The Slim Shady LP』、『The Marshall Mathers LP』、『The Eminem Show』、『Relapse』等专辑4度拿下最佳饶舌专辑奖。阿姆在2003年更以自传电影「街头痞子」的主题曲"Lose Yourself",成为史上第一位以饶舌歌曲拿下奥斯卡最佳电影歌曲大奖的艺人。
在2009年全美最畅销的饶舌专辑『Relapse』发行一年过后,阿姆带来最新大碟【Recovery】。他说:「我原本计划在2009年推出『Relapse』的二部曲专辑,但在我跟许多新的制作人合作之后,『Relapse』二部曲专辑这个点子变得越来越无趣,我想做一张全新的专辑,新专辑录制过程中所完成的歌曲跟『Relapse』很不一样,我想这些歌曲需要一个全新的专辑名称。」新辑中除了与恩师Dr. Dre以及Just Blaze等合作多年的制作伙伴继续搭档之外,也出现全新的制作伙伴--洛杉磯嘻哈制作新宠DJ Khalil [Pitbull],加拿大嘻哈新势力Boi-1da [*Drake],英伦嘻哈菁英Alex Da Kid [*Rihanna]…等人。负责打头阵的首支主打单曲"Not Afraid"在充满戏剧张力的节奏中展现阿姆全新的嘻哈风格,发行后锐不可挡的空降全美热门单曲榜冠军,成为继Puff Diddy的"I`ll Be Missing You"之后,第2首缔造空降全美热门单曲榜冠军的嘻哈歌曲。新专辑还破天荒邀请了两位当红女歌手跨刀献唱,包括与新世代动感“娜妹”Rihanna合作"Love The Way You Lie",与葛莱美奖得主P!nk合作"Won"t Back Down"。此外,阿姆在音乐取样上依旧展现了嘻哈音乐多元融合的延展性,像是"Going Through Changes"取样了英国重金属摇滚先锋Black Sabbath 1972年抒情摇滚曲"Changes","You’re Never Over"取样了英国摇滚歌手Gerard McMann 1987年为电影「粗野少年族」(The Lost Boys)所灌录的主题曲"Cry Little Sister",而阿姆与纽奥良嘻哈天才Lil Wayne交锋的"No Love"取样了来自千里达的流行舞曲歌手Haddaway 1993年风靡欧陆的冠军电子舞曲"What Is Love"。在这张精彩的全新专辑中,阿姆清楚的告诉乐迷, 没错,他真的好得不能再好了!
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by David Jeffries
With Recovery it becomes obvious that Eminem's richest albums aren't necessarily his most structurally sound, which isn't much of a surprise when considering the rapper's full-on embrace of flaws and contradictions. This lean, mean bipolar machine began life as Relapse 2, but when Shady decided he wasn't really Shady at the moment and that he was no longer keen on Relapse -- or the last two albums as he states on “Talkin' 2 Myself” -- it became Marshall Mathers time again, so damn any 11th hour issues. This results in an album where a shameless but killer Michael J. Fox punch line (“The world will stop spinnin’ and Michael J. Fox‘ll come to a standstill” from “Cold Wind”) is followed by a song with another, less effective MJF joke (“Make like Michael J. Fox in your drawers, playin' with an Etch-A-Sketch”), although that song is the lurching heavy metal monster “Won't Back Down” with P!nk, and it could be used as the lead-in to “Lose Yourself” on any ego-boosting mixtape. Following an apology for your recent work with a damnation of critics and haters is just sloppy; taking off the skits and then overstuffing your album by a track or two is undermining what's good; and the beats here are collectively just a B+ with only one production (the so good “So Bad”) coming from Dr. Dre. Add to that the detractor idea that being privy to the man's therapy sessions just isn't compelling anymore and the only persuasive moments remaining are the highlights, but fans can feed on the energy, the renewed sense of purpose, and Marshall doing whatever the hell he wants, up to and including shoehorning a grand D12-like comedy number ("W.T.P.," which stands for "White Trash Party") into this emotionally heavy album. It’s fascinating when Em admits “Hatred was flowin’ through my veins, on the verge of goin’ insane/I almost made a song dissin’ Lil Wayne” and then “Thank God I didn’t do it/I’da had my ass handed to me, and I knew it” before sparring with said Weezy on the Haddaway-sampling “No Love.” When the recovery-minded “Going Through Changes” gets back on the wagon by sampling Black Sabbath’s very druggy “Changes” it’s a brilliant and layered idea that’s executed with poignant lyrics on top. Add the man at his most profound (the gigantic hit “Not Afraid”) and his most profane (“You wanna get graphic? We can go the scenic route/You couldn’t make a bulimic puke on a piece of corn and peanut poop” from “On Fire”) plus one of thickest lyric booklets out of any of his albums and the fans who really listen are instantly on board. It may be flawed and the rapper’s attitude is sometimes one step ahead of his output, but he hasn’t sounded this unfiltered and proud since The Marshall Mathers LP, so to hell with refinement -- bring on the hunger and spirit of 8 Mile.