I feel like “Recovery”, the next Eminem album on the journey, probably flew a bit under the radar, even as it was the #1 selling album of 2010. It doesn’t have a signature song like some of his earlier albums, but it is another strong effort and as best as he can, he attempts to present a slightly more positive mindset on life and the world around him.
My favorite track is probably the opener, “Cold Wind Blows”, even though it wasn’t one of the singles released. “Talkin’ 2 Myself” is one of the life turnaround tunes as Eminem is trying to look at himself as much as he does the outside influences he typically demonizes on his earlier music. “Won’t Back Down” is a collaboration with Pink that works well, although there are a couple of lyrics I have to wonder if she signed off on before she agreed to this track. The street-tough side of her probably loved it. “W.T.P”, which is an acronym for White Trash Party, is a pretty infectious chorus and I was singing it to myself for most of the weekend. “Going Through Changes” samples Black Sabbath, which is a nice twist and another attempt to look on the bright side of life. “Not Afraid” is in the same vain, and was the first released single from the album. I enjoyed hearing Lil Wayne make an appearance on “No Love”, which samples “What Is Love” by Haddaway, a song most of us associate with Will Ferrell and “A Night At the Roxbury”.
My other favorite track on this record is probably “So Bad”; it has my favorite beat and slow-jam groove on the record. “Love The Way You Lie” is another A-list collaboration with Rihanna, and they match up well which isn’t a big surprise for two of the biggest superstars of their era. This is the last stop on the Eminem parade in my blog, but his impact as an MC and durability as an artist were absolutely appreciated along the way.
A Lifetime-Plus of Music 