Relapse: Refill
- Eminem
- Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
Emerging from his lengthy pill-induced stupor last spring, Eminem's comeback Relapse was distressingly average for an artist defined by his greatness. Em's razor-sharp skills seemed lost until he dropped a mind-blowing double-time verse on summer smash Forever - mopping the floor with collaborators Drake, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. That all-star single kicks off this re-release, topping up the prescription alongside puerile, previously-released Taking My Ball and five new tracks (none matching Relapse 's original high points: Deja Vu, Old Time's Sake and Beautiful ). Buffalo Bill and Music Box return to Slim Shady's tired serial-killer tropes while Elevator mars any earned emotion with self-consciously controversial gay-baiting. Drop a Bomb on 'Em lets the decade's best-selling artist re-establish his battle-rap bona fides over a booming Dr. Dre beat. But we know Em can rap anything - now it's time for him to say something. Guess that'll have to wait until next year's Relapse 2 .