First Listen: Eminem - Marshall Mathers LP 2. Hello and welcome to another First Listen. This time its the turn of the new album from The Real Slim Shady himself. Id like to point out that this is a slightly different first listen, in that I have heard the four singles from the album a few times each. Ive been a little torn over them and am not sure what to expect from this record. I was always a fan of Eminems older stuff, particularly his first 3 studio albums. After that I thought it was always a bit of a mixed bag with him, but from the title of this album I was hoping he would be going back to his hip hop roots instead of the mainstream stuff he has leaned towards more recently. The singles are a bit of both. So, without further ado, lets get into it... Track 1 - Bad Guy: A hip hop beat and tweaking sound to open the album. The song is a sequel to the Eminem classic Stan and spoke from Stans little brothers point of view. He wants revenge on Eminem for the death of his big brother. Some excellent lyrics rapped angrily showing the hurt that is felt over his loss. A great song to start the album and just the kind of thing I was hoping to hear on this record. Track 2 - Parking Lot (skit): The skits on Eminems old albums were something I always enjoyed and which amused me. This one doesnt quite live up to them. Its Slim on the run from police and just running footsteps and sirens are heard, with a gunshot at the end. Luckily, its the only skit on the album. Track 3 - Rhyme or Reason: Em uses The Zombies Time of the Season on this track with lyric changes. It works rather well as a rap song actually. The song is a shot at the rappers Dad. Brutal, yet often comical lyrics about his feelings towards the man that walked out on him as a kid. A very good song. Track 4 - So Much Better: A track about a girl who Eminem dated, who then went off and slept with Dr. Dre, Drake and Lupe Fiasco. The last verse being about how hell go out and get another girl anyway, but hed rather just kill them all. Im pretty sure this is fictional but its rather comical either way. I like this one. The beat and melody here are definitely reminiscent of the Marshall Mathers LP. Track 5 - Survival: The first song that Ive already heard, I didnt think too much of it when I first heard it but Im going in with an open mind. A very much rock driven song, which is something Ive never personally enjoyed from Eminem. This one isnt so bad though and while Im not so keen on the chorus, the verse lyrics are pretty good. Em talks about how he will always survive in the rap game because he has the belief that he is good enough. Track 6 - Legacy: A piano based song with a strong hip hop, almost military style beat. This one is about Ems childhood and how life was, growing up as an outsider and the reasons behind why he is the way he is. Excellent lyrical content here and a decent chorus too, which fits well. Track 7 - A**hole: This one features pop singer Skylar Grey on chorus vocals, which Im not keen on. Its not just the fact that I believe Eminem shouldnt be working with pop singers, but its actually not a very good chorus. Im also not keen on the beat or music on this one, it doesnt really grip me and is a bit too aggresive. It draws the attention too much away from the vocal and I almost didnt even notice at first that this song was about Slims tendancy to thrive off his own criticisms of himself. At least, thats what I got from it. Track 8 - Berzerk: Another Ive heard, and another rock based song. I havent been a fan of this one since I first heard it and this listen isnt changing my mind. As Ive previously stated, Im not keen on his rock rap style stuff and this is one of his weakest songs to date. Funnily enough, he is talking about how great old school hip-hop was, but this is not in that style...more an early 90s Beastie Boys style. Track 9 - Rap God: Great word play in this song and several different rap styles, showing Eminems fantastic versatility. This is another Ive heard a few times and that I loved from the first time. Em raps about how hes still got the skill and ability to be ahead of other rap artists. This is another track in the style I was hoping to hear more of on this album. Track 10 - Brainless: Taking it back to his early style, talking about how crazy he can get, Em uses comical lyrics again here: mama always said, son if you had a brain youd be dangerous...guess it pays to be brainless. Clever and strong lyrics. A nice beat and I like the piano playing throughout. An excellent song which makes me think of the Slim Shady LP. Track 11 - Stronger Than I Was: The rapper does have a tendancy to take to singing now and then, and this is one of those songs. A slow song with strong drums and a piano. The track is written from Eminems ex-wife Kims point of view about their troubled relationship. Im not overly keen on the sung parts, but theyre not too bad. The rapped verse, however, is excellent again. Track 12 - The Monster: The last of the songs that Ive already heard. Ive listened a few times and have to say the lyrics that Slim raps on this one are brilliant. It reminds me of his classic song The Way I Am, its about the frustrations of fame and how he has a dark side. Rihanna sings the chorus, and as previously stated I dont think Eminem, who hated pop back in the day, should be using pop artists. Thats nothing against Rihanna and having said that, her chorus does work well and she sings well on it. A great song. Track 13 - So Far...: This one doesnt hit me from the off, the intro is a bit of a silly sung part and then the verse comes in and has an almost country style feel. The rapping is decent but it just doesnt fit together well. I dont understand why Eminem would be trying to do this style and its a bit all over the place if Im honest. Definitely the worst song on the album and one I would rather forget. Track 14 - Love Game: This one takes the classic 60s song Game of Love by The Mindbenders as the main sample for the song. In honesty, I dont yhink it works well. This, for me, is another disappointing song. It features Kendrick Lamar, and while both rappers sound decent on their verses, the song is too quick in my opinion and the chorus isnt great. I like the witty and comical lyrics, so thats a positive point. It compares hip-hop to a woman and talks of how she doesnt commit but they cant live without her and keep coming back. Track 15 - Headlights: This track is dedicated to Eminems mother. This time its a little different though, it talks of how hes sorry about all the things he said about her and regrets that they couldnt have a real relationship. The rapper seems to have realised that it wasnt all his Mums fault and certain things cant be helped. Some of the best lyrics on the album and a song that gripped me from the opening verse from Funs Nate Reuss. A very mellow song, fitting with the vocal. Brilliant. Track 16 - Evil Twin: Eminem lets out his anger in this final track. He tells of how he has a split personality (Eminem and Slim Shady) and both of them are frustrated with how rap has changed, how life is and how they are still looking for someone to rip into now that N*Sync and The Backstreet Boys are no longer famous. Good lyrics again here and a powerful drum beat. A good way to end things. Verdict: After having a mixed opinion on the singles from this album, I feel that it has exceeded my expectations. A few disappointments, mainly that I assumed Eminem would go back to the style of the Marshall Mathers LP throughout, but that wasnt the case. Also, as stated, Im not majorly keen on the rock guitar riffs or Em collaborating with pop stars. I do appreciate that people change though, taking different outlooks and styles that suit their current status. I think he shows here that he is somewhat torn over which direction he wanted to take. However, on the whole, this is a rather good album. The majority of the songs do go back to that old Eminem style and are straight hip-hop, which is a huge plus for me. Some great lyrics on here, and Slim poking fun at people and letting his frustrations out in a comical way like he used to. Any fans of the rapper will enjoy this, maybe even the whole thing if you like his more recent stuff (ie.Recovery). I would advise any rap fan to give this one a go, though, as there are most definitely some great tracks here. Thanks for reading. 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Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 21:25:44 +0000
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