Revival

by Eminem

Overview

"Am I lucky to be around this long?" Eminem wonders this on "Walk on Water," the first track on his 2017 album, Revival, which arrives when the 20th anniversary of his 1999 debut, The Slim Shady LP, is just 14 months away. Aging is never easy for a star but it may be harder for Marshall Mathers, since his earliest records were equal parts rage and pranks -- emotions that tend to mellow as the years stack up. Underneath all that attention-grabbing bluster lay Eminem's boundless technical proficiency, which was the real reason he scored a monumental breakthrough in 1999 and sustained a career. Put it simply, he didn't sound like anybody else when he started, and now that he's conceivably halfway through his journey he doesn't sound like anybody else either, a quality that can make Revival compelling, albeit only intermittently. Provocative and muddled, Revival percolates with ambition but doesn't lack in laziness either: not only can Eminem not resist recycling the templates for "Stan" and "Love the Way You Lie," he stumbles through a loop as dull as Joan Jett's "I Love Rock & Roll" on "Remind Me," a sample that not only plays as leaden but is laden in nostalgia. Then again, the past isn't far from Em's mind, particularly his long, tortured relationship with his on-and-off love Kim, who is the subject of "Remind Me" and "Bad Husband." The latter finds Eminem holding himself accountable for his past misdeeds, an emotional candidness that finds a counterpart in his increased political consciousness, a shift sparked by his deep disgust for President Donald J. Trump. Reckoning with Trump has the same effect as grappling with his own middle age: it forces Eminem out of his comfort zone, pushing him to sharpen his lyrics. When he sticks to familiar territory, he shifts his focus to his flow and the results can still startle, whether he's playing with legato shifts of phrase or speeding through "Offended." Listening to Eminem challenge himself on a sheer technical level -- and the absence of any major guest rappers suggests he thinks he's in a class of his own -- can still be a wonder. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	12/15/2017
Label:	Aftermath / Polydor
UPC:	0602567146445

Tracks

1. Walk on Water
2. Believe
3. Chloraseptic
4. Untouchable
5. River
6. Remind Me (Intro)
7. Remind Me
8. Revival (Interlude)
9. Like Home
10. Bad Husband
11. Tragic Endings
12. Framed
13. Nowhere Fast
14. Heat
15. Offended
16. Need Me
17. In Your Head
18. Castle
19. Arose

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Eminem   Primary Artist
Beyonce   Featured Artist
P!nk   Featured Artist
Skylar Grey   Featured Artist
Ed Sheeran   Featured Artist
X Ambassadors   Featured Artist
Kehlani   Featured Artist
Phresher   Featured Artist
Pink   Featured Artist
Alicia Keys   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Andre Young   Composer
Dolores O'Riordan   Composer
Beyonce Knowles   Composer
Ken Hensley   Composer
Fredwreck Nassar   Composer
Lawrence Smith   Composer
Larry Smith   Composer
Farid Nassar   Composer
Barry White   Composer
Parrish Smith   Composer
Jon Ingoldsby   Composer,Producer
Darryl McDaniels   Composer
Joseph Simmons   Composer
Mark Batson   Composer
Luis Resto   Composer
Denaun Porter   Composer
Matt Dike   Composer
Jesse Weaver Jr.   Composer
Rick Rubin   Composer
Regina Spektor   Composer
Tommy Chong   Composer
Antonina Armato   Composer
Tim James   Composer
Thomas Bartlett   Composer
Andrew Jackson   Composer
Erick Sermon   Composer
Sam Harris   Composer
Marvin Young   Composer
Luther Rabb   Composer
Adam Horovitz   Composer
Alan Merrill   Composer
David Byron   Composer
Dave Guy   Composer
Leon Michels   Composer
Thomas Brenneck   Composer
Canei Finch   Composer
Liz Rodrigues   Composer
Erik Alcock   Composer
Pranam Injeti   Composer
Gaye DeLorme   Composer
Duval Clear   Composer
Jesse Weaver   Composer
Andreas Lemke   Composer
Richard Marin   Composer
Paul Rosenberg   Composer
J Smith   Composer
Marshall Mathers   Composer
Justin Smith   Composer
Emile Haynie   Composer
Andre Brown   Composer
David Guy   Composer
Charles Bradley   Composer
Marc Shemer   Composer
Mike Strange   Composer
Alexander Grant   Composer
Theron Feemster   Composer
Trevor Lawrence Jr.   Composer
Ed Sheeran   Composer
Aaron Kleinstub   Composer
Allan Preston Sachs   Composer
Thomas Armato Sturges   Composer
Kenneth Hensley   Composer
Michael Clervoix   Composer
Tyrone Kelsie   Composer
Holly Hafermann   Composer
Kent Jones   Composer
Jim Walters   Composer
Bryan Fryzel   Composer
Khalil Abdul-Rahman   Composer
Eric Mc Intosh   Composer
Gaye James Joseph Delorme   Composer
Geoff Sarubbi   Composer
Myles Moraites   Composer
Ray Fraser   Composer
Jake Hooker   Composer
Jake Richards   Composer
Alicia Keys   Composer
Amanda McBroom   Composer