Eminem’s ‘Revival’ Album: Is It Worth The Build Up?
There’s a lot of hype, hate, and words that came out when Eminem‘s ‘Revival’ leaked the other night.
Today, the ACTUAL album dropped for sale and stream, and while we’d love to hear your opinions, we’re going to break down the album and give you OURS. Here are some of our highlights on the album.
The Tracks That Bumped
“Walk On Water” Feat. Beyonce
The single that was shared prior to album’s release talks about how there’s a certain pressure when writing, or being an artist in general, and the pressure that comes with trying to be perfect while doing so. Beyonce covers the choruses while Eminem opens his heart up on the struggle there is to give a great deliverable.
“Untouchable”
Eminem gets political on white privilege. He speaks about police brutality and racial profiling for the black community, by using imagery like “Pull up on the side of you/Window rolled down, profiled/And then we wonder why we see this side of you/Probably coming from the dope house/We can let you slide but your tail light is blew, out/We know you’re hiding that Heidi Klum on you/And you’re on another drug charge, homie, it’s back inside for you.” Initially, you have to dig deep to realize that Eminem is actually trying to assist the Black Community, rather than brag about his white privilege, but once you’ve got that down, you’ll get it.
“River” Feat. Ed Sheeran
This track ends up falling into the hole of a cheater turned one-night stand, turning into banging someone else’s girl, which morphs into a cautionary tale about not using protection and abortion. That’s a load to swallow, but the most prominent verse is the third one. “I can’t keep my lies straight/What I made you terminate, my baby/This love triangle, left us in a wreck-tangled/What else can I say? It was fun for a while/Bet I really woulda loved your smile/Didn’t really wanna abort/But f*** it, what’s one more lie, to tell an unborn child?” I’m sure Eminem is going to get grilled on the subject matter, and if he knows this story first hand. Also, if the pop world catches wind that Sheeran is on a track about this type of subject, he may get some heat on it too.
From the back end, it took 18 months to pull together, and Ed sent his ideas over to Paul Rosenberg reached out, including himself playing drums, guitar, piano, and singing, according to Complex. I’d love to hear those demos.
“Like Home” Feat. Alicia Keys
Em drops into more politics, but the hook from Alicia Keys softens this to make it a potential radio placing hit. It’s no surprise that Shady is coming for Donald Trump on this track, as well as a pre-chorus from Alicia saying that she won’t give up on her home, the home that people died for. It’s a patriotism pump, but it’s coming from the real place, from Americans who are scared of where the country is going.
“Bad Husband” Feat. X Ambassadors
Eminem apologizes to his ex-wife Kim after all these years. The chorus from X Ambassadors shares that there was dialogue to Marshall, saying that he was a “Good Father” but a “Bad Husband.” It speaks on how both of them made mistakes, but Em straight up says “I’m sorry Kim,” leaving little to the imagination on who this track is about.
The Tracks That Flopped
“Remind Me” Featuring Joan Jett Sample
I love you Eminem, but this track is just atrocious. Much like some of the other sample tracks that Eminem has done previously on ‘Marshall Mathers LP 2,’ the song is just a lot of noise, and a good chunk of misogyny. Not my favorite.
“Tragic Endings” Featuring Skylar Grey
This song became a big distraction. Typically, a Skylar Grey track would be a track that people would be all over in a good way, but it seems as if this song isn’t quite mastered properly. For those who obviously don’t mix music or know the process of making music, Grey’s vocals are higher above everything else, and Em’s vocals are a lot lower. There’s no real stand-out part of the song, and it feels more like filler. At this point, it might have been better to have the 2 Chainz collaboration that was left off.
“Framed”
A throwback to Eminem’s more murderous tracks – it’s a story about being “Framed,” but being on drugs – not to mention saying that Ivanka Trump is in his trunk. Though this wouldn’t necessarily throw anyone, Shady went back to a horrible accent on this one, making it all the more frustrating to listen to.
Conclusion
Though Eminem’s catalog isn’t strangled for hits, there will be quite a few singles on this album that will float him well into his 2018 tour. We wouldn’t say that this is his BEST body of work, but it will certainly rank Top 5 in his catalog.
You can hear the album now wherever you snag your music. Take our poll below once you’ve heard his tracks and let us know what you think!
Amy Cooper is one with the force and the force is with her.
