Failed Comeback
Eminem
Relapse
(Interscope)
**1/2
Apparently having heard the rumours that he was washed up, Eminem has once again honed in on the darkest parts of his psyche (a surprise, considering how bright and breezy he seemed on his previous albums) in hopes of recapturing the compelling mix of humour and psychodrama that made The Marshall Mathers LP such an attention-grabber. Well, Mr. Mathers’ familiar old demons — his mom, his stepfather, his ex-wife — all make return appearances on Relapse, but the only reaction they’re likely to provoke is a weary “Yeah, this dude’s sure got issues.” “I was born with a dick in my brain / Yeah, fucked in the head,” he announces on “Insane” — but this time out, the line sounds pathetic and painful instead of funny. It’s good to see Eminem has ended his five-year hiatus from the recording studio, but the mind-numbing darkness of Relapse, coupled with Dre’s equally tiresome production, gets real old, real quick. And there’s still Relapse 2 to follow later this year.
CURTIS WRIGHT
0 comments:
Post a Comment