Eminem: 'Relapse'

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Don't let the Sarah Palin gags and fart sound effects of comeback single 'We Made You' fool you. Relapse, Marshall Mathers III's first album in five years, is his darkest and most vile to date. Tackling subjects including child abuse, serial killers and rape, while also opening up in detail about his battles with prescription drugs and alcohol, Relapse is a kick in the butt for those who thought the rapper had run out of ideas after 2004's underwhelming Encore set. A 76-minute, 20-track rant-a-thon, Em's sixth studio album finds the Detroit wordsmith at the peak of his powers (astute, funny and jaw-dropping) but also at his most tiresome (lazy and pointless celeb-baiting, gay-bashing).

The ludicrous length and lack of quality control is what stops Relapse from reaching the standards he set with his opening trilogy of major label albums. 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP, which found Eminem at his commercial and creative peak, also comprised 18 tracks, but at its heart were monster pop-rap hits like 'Stan' and 'The Real Slim Shady' that distracted from any indulgent chaff. Relapse features no such focal point, so when he tosses out tired-sounding beats on 'Same Song And Dance' and 'Stay Wide Awake', it makes you fearful for his promised follow-up album, Relapse II, later this year. It's always great to hear Dr Dre making a rare foray onto record these days, but his partnership with Eminem is beginning to sound stale after a decade of recording together. Hearing them dig out their classic sound effects on the funky 'Old Time's Sake' is fantastic retro fun, but would it not be intriguing to see what Em could do with a new producer?

Similarly problematic is the rapper's fixation with slating female celebs. The Pussycat Dolls, Miley Cyrus, Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan are all discussed using either violent or sexual imagery, but the joke just isn't funny anymore. When he talked about impregnating the Spice Girls on breakthrough hit 'My Name Is' and bashed Christina on 'The Real Slim Shady', Em's lewd humour was a refreshing pin-prick to the overblown and pompous world of celebrity. Ten years on, he's using the same gags and merely inserting different names. On the truly horrendous 'Bagpipes From Baghdad', it's Em who sounds like the desperate fading star as he pines for former lover Mariah Carey and taunts her new man Nick Cannon.

However, as soon as Eminem stops trying to live up to his own controversial reputation and lets the mask slip, Relapse can be thrilling. When he ditches the "ironic" sick fantasies (On '3AM' he masturbates over Hannah Montana before going on a killing spree in McDonalds) and exposes his inner demons, we're reminded of the rapper's energy and lyrical sharpness. Whether it's contemplating his future as a musician on 'Beautiful' ("I just can't admit... that I may be done with rap"), ditching the drink on 'Deja Vu' ("That's the devil in my ear, I been sober a f***in' year") or discussing in excruciating detail his sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather on 'Insane', Eminem proves he's still got the power to stun his listeners. For that alone, we should be grateful that Slim Shady is back again.