My god, where do I even begin with this album. I guess disappointing but expected, would be the best way for me to describe my feelings about Eminemโs latest,ย Revival. Outside ofย Recovery there hasnโt been a recent project of his that Iโve given more than a couple of spins, and sadlyย Revival will be added right to that list.
โItโs the curse of the standard, that the first of the Mathers discs set
Always in search of the verse that I havenโt spit yet
Will this step just be another misstep
To tarnish whatever the legacy, love or respect Iโve garnered?
The rhyme has to be perfect, the delivery flawless
And it always feels like Iโm hittinโ the mark
โTil I go sit in the car, listen and pick it apart
Like, โThis shit is garbage!'โ
Iโve hated the new direction of his sound and its seemingly increasing march towards pop anthems, and instead of recognizing the irony of his career progression heโs only doubled down. When he started out he was the antithesis of everything that was pop stardom but looking at the tracklisting ofย Revival you wouldnโt be able to tell. Boasting features from Beyonce, Kehlani, P!nk, Skylar Grey (of course), and even Ed Sheeran (!?), it looks like an album from Macklemore not Slim Shady. In fact, this new โwokeโ version of Eminem isnโt too far from making his own version of โSame Love.โ Sure heโs always taken jabs at the establishment, and sure Iโm all for career progression but itโs sooo blunt and on the nose here you canโt help but roll your eyes at his message. And in this case regression would be a welcome thing. He still has some bars and witty lines, but his flow sounds as bad as itโs ever been, the production is terrible, and he no longer has the โbiteโ to his music.
I donโt know what happened to the Slim Shady who could point out societyโs absurdities with nonchalant ease or rip apart hard rap beats like no other, but going off of this album, that guy is all but gone. I have to go back and listen to his old music just to get this bad taste out of my mouth.
Have you heardย Revival? Whatโd you think about it? Is this the worst album heโs ever put out? Are you a fan of this new โwokeโ Eminem? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your own ratings and reactions to the album.
