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10.0
3584
10.0 |
Evening Standard
Brave, brilliant and beholden to nobody — Eminem has returned a giant.
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10.0
3598
10.0 |
Evening Standard
Brilliant and beholden to nobody — Eminem has returned a giant
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8.0
3591
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
It's Eminem's undeniable ear for the ""music"" of the language (""I'm just a hooligan who's used to using hallucinogens...""), however, which ensures that – love him or hate him – the real Slim Shady still stands up.
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8.0
3582
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
All that negative energy helps him fight the temptation to become comfortably numb. If you hate Em, he probably wouldn't blame you. But Relapse is reason to be glad he's still around.
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7.0
3596
7.0 |
The Quietus
He's timed his comeback well. Long enough to raise expectations but not so long they get too high, just the right distance to make this a welcome return and give hope for the sequel, Relapse 2 due at the end of this year.
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6.0
3593
6.0 |
The Times
An album that sits square between what Eminem is theoretically still capable of and what we feared he has become.
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6.0
3594
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Can you truly be crowned one of the greatest emcees of all time – and make no mistake, when on point Em is that and much more – without a hall of fame-worthy full-length? The question remains unanswered, because while it was, undeniably, dull without him, Relapse is less 12 steps than a stumbling one backwards
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6.0
3585
6.0 |
The Guardian
As Relapse's highlights prove, it's when he talks about himself that he really grabs your attention.
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6.0
3589
6.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
A record laced with self-loathing or at best re-evaluation.
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6.0
3590
6.0 |
Clash
At its best this record delivers precisely what fans have come to expect. It’s funny but it’s brutal; it’s bloody but it’s charming; it’s playful but it’s deadly serious.
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6.0
13580
6.0 |
The Observer
His Recovery will never be complete – only a time machine can work that magic – but, in bursts, Eminem's health is very nearly rude
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6.0
13649
6.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
His rapping is back to its dynamic best, bouncing off the walls on the Haddaway sampling No Love, and furiously balancing syllables on the potential monster hit Space Bound
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5.0
3600
5.0 |
No Ripcord
When he's on, like on Crack a Bottle, Stay Wide Awake and the other previously highlighted songs, he is a titan. Relapse is billed as a return to form, but it plays more like a departure note
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5.0
3587
5.0 |
musicOMH
Half the time it's lazy, and the other half, it's dreary. Anybody else feel like they need a drink?
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5.0
3597
5.0 |
NME
The overriding feel is of an album just too jaded, too joyless to truly count as a return to form.
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4.8
3595
4.8 |
Pitchfork
Sure, it's great to have the guy back, if only due to the fact that if we get to ignore him for the next four years. But it'll be on our terms, not his.
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4.0
3592
4.0 |
The Sunday Times
For the most part, though, Relapse is regressive, rather than a step forward.
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4.0
3599
4.0 |
The List
There’s a follow up album promised in six months time that was recorded at the same time. Here’s hoping he’s saving the best for last.
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4.0
3586
4.0 |
The Independent
The album quickly becomes drably repetitive, while its dated tone is emphasised by the return of Dr Dre as producer.
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4.0
3583
4.0 |
Spin
Once you're acclimated to the carnage, tedium sets in. Relapse is really just another overlong summer blockbuster.
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3.0
3588
3.0 |
PopMatters
The thing is, being insane is simply not a good enough excuse to spread chauvinistic hate-speech like this, especially not when delivered in such a formulaic casing.
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2.0
14433
2.0 |
Rave Magazine
Recovery is a pretty plain attempt at recapturing past glories only without a Stan or a Without Me to make it seem worthwhile
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