Eminem

A mix of the shrinking industry plus two albums spent addicted to drugs or recovering from them have set the bar so low for Eminem, it’s practically buried, and he knows it: He did everything he could to set up last year’s Recovery as a fresh start. While endless atonement metaphors threaten to make the record a maudlin affair, on tracks like “No Love,” Eminem soars over his lowered expectations. He may never get the comeback he’s claiming, but at least he doesn’t have to apologize for this one. He might have to apologize for his horribly misogynist and demeaning lyrics, but let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.

Updated 07/27/2011