Instead of falling back on Auto-Tune or recycled beats, like many of his competitors have done in recent years, Eminem turns a new page, occasionally enlisting some A-List talent for support. The first single off Recovery, “Not Afraid,” falls at an odd point on the album, almost halfway though, but it remains equally catchy and powerful.

Eminem clearly has something to prove and while the first five tracks are solid, “Going Through Changes” makes a clear statement that he is still the one to beat. Eminem maintains energy reminiscent of his early work through the tracks “On Fire,” “Won’t Back Down,” and “W.T.P.,” before a sample of Ozzy’s cry “I’m going through changes” from the Black Sabbath song “Changes” sets a more serious tone. I’ve come to make it up to you…Let me formally reintroduce myself.” Yes, Eminem has returned. Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushing ’em out. “It’s different, them last two albums didn’t count. “It’s like I was jealous of him cause the attention he was gettin’.” Although two verses of self-loathing would be enough to turn many fans away, the triumphant return is worth the wait. “I almost made a song dissin’ Lil Wayne,” he says. This is one of the first times Eminem acknowledges the talent his competition has. Recovery continues with “Talkin’ 2 Myself,” Eminem’s look back on his state of mind between his last album and now. His previous two records, Encore and Relapse were met with mixed reviews and left many fans disappointed, in part thanks to the bar being set so high with albums like The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP. Reintroducing himself with the words “cause some things just don’t change, it’s better when they stay the same,” Eminem hints at a return to the hard-hitting lyrics and solid beats that made him famous. On Recovery, many of the opinions he expresses are about his previous work. Eminem – RecoveryIf there’s one thing that can be said about Eminem, it’s that he’s honest at least when it comes to his opinions.

Eminem recovery album tracks