Eminem has finally made a return to music after a long four years. He comes back bringing with his new music, his new album ‘Revival’ was released on the 15th of December. However, not everyone has marked his return as a success.
I will start this article by openly admitting that I am not a die-hard Eminem fan. However, I did, as a dedicated writer listens to the entire album, to see if I could be converted. I can now reveal that I was not. Now, this may not be entirely because I prefer rock to rap, some fans have claimed that the star has forgotten his roots.
The famed rapper has faced mixed reviews, with Kitty Empire from The Guardian giving it a pitiful two stars. My grasp of the music is that some songs featured quite a rock-esque vibe (Untouchable), whilst others felt quite mainstream (Heat). This view seems to be shadowed in the scathing review from Empire.
Is it all bad?
One thing that cannot be dismissed is the undeniable power of Eminem’s lyrics. ‘Like Home’ features a scathing attack on Donald Trump which could be said to encapsulate the feelings of the nation. Whilst ‘Bad Husband’ appears to be a heart-felt apology directed to his ex-wife Kim.
Whilst his lyrics are as hard-hitting as ever before, some fans have sneered at the number of other artists the songs feature. Even Pink makes an appearance! In fact, the majority of artists come from the pop genre, a surprising move from the ‘Rap God’. Perhaps this choice stems from an evolution of himself as an artist? Or maybe a way to capitalize on the success of Beyonce and Ed Sheeran?
My suggestion would be that even if you love, hate or are indifferent to Eminem take a listen to his album because you may like it. I mean even I found some songs that I didn’t entirely hate. Take a listen to this:
