AMG Review of Recovery

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

As late as April, the title of Eminem’s follow-up to Relapse was set to be titled Relapse 2, but the accumulating material for the release continued to stray farther away from the sound of Relapse. Realizing it wouldn’t make sense to treat his seventh studio album as a sequel -- from both lyrical and production standpoints -- Eminem dubbed it Recovery. Proving the veteran MC’s continued relevance, “Not Afraid,” the album's first single, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number one.