If we compare Revival to some of his older works, we can notice that he matured. Of course, his lyrics are still sharp and direct, but there are moments when it seems like he has too much he wants to prove: that he is still number one in the rap scene and that he is still relevant.

His political engagement on the album is seemingly strong, criticizing police brutality with “Untouchable,” provoking mixed critics, bringing up own white privileges, and discussing institutional racism. In the track “Like Home” – where he collaborated with Alicia Keys – Eminem strongly stands up against military transphobia.

A refreshing thing on Revival is a significant number of collaborations with others, mostly pop artists. “Walk on Water”, featuring Beyoncé, was the first single from the album and got a positive feedback from the fans, while collab with Ed Sheeran on “River” became an instant hit. Melodic verse sang by British singer/songwriter and Eminem’s intimate lyrics just hit the right spots.

But the bunch of pop-y additions to the album also worked against Eminem. He shifted from his previous style which included him carrying most of the load by himself and demonstrating almost an unparalleled ability of storytelling. There is some of that here as well, but not as much as one would want. This album doesn’t stand among his best work, but it is also not the worst album ever like some would like to portray. In general, Revival is 77 minutes long confession, a personal view of the many of today’s issues. Eminem’s previous success is actually serving as his downfall this time. Having made such a big name for himself, one would say the only way to go is down. Final thought: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up!?

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Revival was released on December 15, 2017

The post Album Review: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up!? appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

On the Revival’s 19 tracks you’ll be able to hear features from numerous artists including Beyoncé, Phresher, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, X Ambassadors, Skylar Grey, Kehlani, and Pink. Alongside Eminem Rick Rubin, Skylar Grey, Alex da Kid, and Dr. Dre are listed as producers on the album.

Walk on Water, featuring Beyoncé, was previously released as the lead single for the album and already became a hit.

In a SiriusXM interview before the album’s release, Eminem spoke about the title of the album, saying that it reflects the revival of himself but also “hopefully the revival of America.” Speaking about the process of making the songs for the album, the rapper said he needed to “let off the gas” and that he recorded “40 or 50 songs” for Revival.

“One of the first things I had to do when I started making this album is I had to let off the gas. I’d realized (with) a couple of songs a couple of years ago, ‘Phenomenal’ and ‘Kings Never Die,’ I never took a breath.” – said Eminem. “I recorded 40 or 50 songs for this album. … Say I record three songs. Now I’ve got three songs to try to build off. As I go along, as this song’s better than the last one, the last one gets scrapped. I just keep going ’til I feel like I’ve got the right ones.”

Upon its release Revival received mixed reviews from the critics. According to them, although there are flashes of his old dynamic, it’s a weaker release compared to his previous albums.

The post Eminem Releases His Long Anticipated New Album Revival appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

If we compare Revival to some of his older works, we can notice that he matured. Of course, his lyrics are still sharp and direct, but there are moments when it seems like he has too much he wants to prove: that he is still number one in the rap scene and that he is still relevant.

His political engagement on the album is seemingly strong, criticizing police brutality with “Untouchable,” provoking mixed critics, bringing up own white privileges, and discussing institutional racism. In the track “Like Home” – where he collaborated with Alicia Keys – Eminem strongly stands up against military transphobia.

A refreshing thing on Revival is a significant number of collaborations with others, mostly pop artists. “Walk on Water”, featuring Beyoncé, was the first single from the album and got a positive feedback from the fans, while collab with Ed Sheeran on “River” became an instant hit. Melodic verse sang by British singer/songwriter and Eminem’s intimate lyrics just hit the right spots.

But the bunch of pop-y additions to the album also worked against Eminem. He shifted from his previous style which included him carrying most of the load by himself and demonstrating almost an unparalleled ability of storytelling. There is some of that here as well, but not as much as one would want. This album doesn’t stand among his best work, but it is also not the worst album ever like some would like to portray. In general, Revival is 77 minutes long confession, a personal view of the many of today’s issues. Eminem’s previous success is actually serving as his downfall this time. Having made such a big name for himself, one would say the only way to go is down. Final thought: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up!?

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Revival was released on December 15, 2017

The post Album Review: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up!? appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

On the Revival’s 19 tracks you’ll be able to hear features from numerous artists including Beyoncé, Phresher, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, X Ambassadors, Skylar Grey, Kehlani, and Pink. Alongside Eminem Rick Rubin, Skylar Grey, Alex da Kid, and Dr. Dre are listed as producers on the album.

Walk on Water, featuring Beyoncé, was previously released as the lead single for the album and already became a hit.

In a SiriusXM interview before the album’s release, Eminem spoke about the title of the album, saying that it reflects the revival of himself but also “hopefully the revival of America.” Speaking about the process of making the songs for the album, the rapper said he needed to “let off the gas” and that he recorded “40 or 50 songs” for Revival.

“One of the first things I had to do when I started making this album is I had to let off the gas. I’d realized (with) a couple of songs a couple of years ago, ‘Phenomenal’ and ‘Kings Never Die,’ I never took a breath.” – said Eminem. “I recorded 40 or 50 songs for this album. … Say I record three songs. Now I’ve got three songs to try to build off. As I go along, as this song’s better than the last one, the last one gets scrapped. I just keep going ’til I feel like I’ve got the right ones.”

Upon its release Revival received mixed reviews from the critics. According to them, although there are flashes of his old dynamic, it’s a weaker release compared to his previous albums.

The post Eminem Releases His Long Anticipated New Album Revival appeared first on Hot Pop Today.