Maps of Music

Recovery (2010)

Where the lyrics of Recovery take you, and where it was really made.

Eminem first planned this record as Relapse 2, but he threw away most of the recorded material and started over.

Key places

Recording studio for the album (2010)

Recording site Encore Recording Studios — MusicBrainz links this studio to the album as a recording place. The source gives no further detail about the sessions held here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover shot on Dutton Road (2010)

Album cover Dutton Road (Auburn Hills) — One of the two album covers shows Eminem walking down Dutton Road in Auburn Hills. The point marks the road, not an exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Detroit cover with Renaissance Center (2010)

Album cover Renaissance Center — The second album cover shows Eminem sitting in a transparent living room in the middle of Detroit, with the Renaissance Center in the background. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Recovery: seventh studio album by American rapper Eminem
• Released June 18, 2010 by Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, WEB Entertainment and Interscope Records
• Unlike his previous albums, most of the producers are from outside his camp
• Outside producers include Alex da Kid, Just Blaze, Boi-1da, Jim Jonsin and Havoc
• In-house producers include Emile, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter and Dr. Dre
• Guests include pop artists Pink, Kobe and Rihanna, rapper Lil Wayne and the group Slaughterhouse
• More introspective and emotional than its predecessor Relapse
• Themes centre on positive personal changes, anxiety and emotional drives

Background

• Eminem recorded far more material than one album could use, and felt he had to give fans more music
• The album was first planned as Relapse 2, a continuation of Relapse
• Relapse: Refill was released as a re-release with a bonus disc of seven new tracks and five unreleased tracks
• The album was pushed back to an early 2010 release
• On April 13, 2010, Eminem announced there would be no Relapse 2
• While recording, he saw the mixed reaction to Relapse, threw away most of the material and started from scratch
• He said the result was an individual project that deserved its own name
• The album is dedicated to anyone in a dark place trying to get out

Recording

• Several tracks, including On Fire, So Bad and Ridaz, were recorded in the same sessions in Hawaii
• Things Get Worse was originally recorded in 2009 as a solo track
• Unlike his earlier work, the album has no skits
• It plays down the Slim Shady alter ego

Cover

• Two covers were made: Eminem walking down Dutton Road in Auburn Hills, and Eminem sitting in a transparent living room in Detroit
• The Detroit cover has the Renaissance Center in the background
• The alternate cover inspired later album covers by Drake and YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Marshall Bruce Mathers III, born October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri; American rapper, songwriter, record producer and record executive.
• Known for rap flow and conscious rap including political criticism and social commentary; widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.
• Credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and the acceptance of white rappers in popular music.
• Debut album Infinite (1996) was a commercial failure; Slim Shady EP (1997) led to signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope.
• The Slim Shady LP (1999) brought mainstream popularity; The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002) each sold over one million copies in a single week.
• The Eminem Show became the best-selling album worldwide in 2002; Recovery (2010) was the best-selling album worldwide in 2010.
• Co-founded Shady Records in late 1999; the label signed D12, Obie Trice, 50 Cent, Stat Quo, Bobby Creekwater and Cashis.
• Starred in 8 Mile (2002); "Lose Yourself" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the first hip-hop act to win it.
• Over 220 million records sold; eleven number-one albums on the Billboard 200, with The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024) the latest.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 in his first year of eligibility.

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average 63 out of 100 from 28 critic scores
• AllMusic's David Jeffries praised Eminem's performance as potent and energetic
• Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph praised the more mature, introspective subject matter
• Jody Rosen in Rolling Stone called it Eminem's most casual-sounding album in years
• Sam Wolfson of NME called him self aware, technically advanced and intelligent
• Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club said his lively raps make up for the endless atonement metaphors that sometimes weigh the album down
• Kitty Empire in The Observer called it better than average as a latterday Eminem album
• Robert Christgau of MSN Music called the album a comeback for Eminem, not Slim Shady
• Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found Eminem frustratingly limited in his topical range, and called Recovery the most insular of his releases
• Andy Gill of The Independent said nothing here is quite as witty or engaging as his previous work
• Pitchfork's Jayson Greene found a lack of lyrical depth
• Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune criticized the writing as lacking hooks and fun
• M. T. Richards of Slant Magazine called the material unsurprisingly hollow
• Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times praised the rhyme schemes but panned the production as monochromatic and monotonous
• Paul MacInnes of The Guardian said the music lacks consistency

Reappraisal

• Billboard's Damien Scott placed it fourth in a 2024 ranking of Eminem's 12 studio albums
• Scott wrote that it sounds like an artist excited for his present and amped for his future
• Billboard ranked it 93rd on its Top 200 Albums of All Time list

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 741,000 copies
• Number one in 16 other countries
• Best-selling album worldwide and in the US in 2010
• Certified 8 times platinum by the RIAA in 2022
• Nominated for Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The lead single Not Afraid sold 380,000 digital downloads in its first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
• The album has no skits, unlike Eminem's previous work
• The alternate cover inspired Drake's Views (2016) cover, which shows him on top of Toronto's CN Tower
• Won't Back Down is a rap rock song featuring Pink
• The album is dedicated to anyone in a dark place trying to get out, with the words 'It does get better!'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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