Eminem’s Second Encore

Relapse

Few artists have ever approached disturbing material as flippantly as Eminem. His first two records, “The Slim Shady LP” and “The Marshall Mathers LP” lead you through numerous homophobic slurs, rape jokes, and murders of his wife. However, the rhymes are so witty and so sharp that you involuntarily let your morals slide and play the albums through. No one had toed the line between offense and amusement so flagrantly since Oliver Stone with “Natural Born Killers.”

2002’s “Eminem Show” and 2004’s “Encore” showed him taking a creative turn. He eased off a bit on the shock-rap, and took on more personal topics instead. While “Eminem Show” felt like a refreshing change of pace, “Encore” was dreary and dull.

“Relapse,” his first album since “Encore,” unfortunately follows “Encore”’s downward trajectory. The record has a maddeningly inconsistent tone and, even more frustratingly, continues to neglect the techniques that got him to the top of the game in the first place.

Through his first two albums, Eminem employed a unique double vocal track on many of his songs. This second track, also voiced by him, would play the role of the audience of the song, or a character in the song’s story. When he had a funny song, the track emphasized the punchlines; when the rhymes were disturbing, it accentuated the discomfort. The effect gave the impression that we were listening to less a hip-hop album than a theatrical one-man show. This second vocal track has been inexplicably absent from his last three albums.

Another troubling change spawned from “The Eminem Show” is the reframing of himself from survivor to victim. On his first two records, he created a narrative of a terrible childhood with an almost cartoon super-villain for a mother. He fought his way to the top, he would have us believe and she, nor anybody else could stop him. Since then though, he paints his ascent through a different lens. Now he wants us to look at him as a victim, someone who is the way he is because he never learned any better. The song “My Mom” even has the chorus “My mom did valium and lots of drugs/That’s why I am like I am cause I’m like her.” The whole thing predictably comes off as disingenuous, like the bully who stole your cookies at recess expecting your sympathy because someone called him fat.

Eminem’s recent beats are a final departure from his earlier records. While on his first two albums his beats used to aptly call to mind a circus on acid, his newer beats bear more of a resemblance to a funeral. On “Relapse” Dr. Dre tries to slip some fun in from time to time, such as on the single “We Made You,” but the beat is quickly swallowed into darkness by the dirges of an upcoming song.

An artist should be able to grow creatively and Eminem should not be begrudged for trying to move past his obscenity era. However, by remaking his style and sound, he has not further separated himself from the pack of rappers nipping at his heels, but rather has lowered himself a little closer to their level. We can begrudge him for that.

Avoiding the Stadium

Singer Rachel Nagy and guitarist Mary Ramirez of Detroit Cobras

Jackson Free Press

May 20, 2009

Summer tour season is here at last. The chance has finally arrived for dedicated fans to see our favorite over-the-hill acts supporting their most recent failed comeback albums. We can sing along to their decade(s)-old hits next to fans wearing their T-shirts from the last failed comeback album’s tour. Who wants to carpool to New Jersey for AC/DC’s “Black Ice” tour stop?

While these stadium tours dominate music discussion, one of the more interesting lineups of the season is playing the club circuit. The Dex Romweber Duo and the Detroit Cobras are two acts that have cultivated a dedicated following, largely because of their energetic and engaging performances. They are sharing bills in Memphis and Birmingham June 3 and 5, respectively.

Dexter Romweber has been a staple of the rockabilly scene since the 1980s. He rode to underground prominence and industry acclaim with Flat Duo Jets, his Chapel Hill, N.C.,-based band. Jack White of the White Stripes has repeatedly trumpeted his influence and recently collaborated with Romweber to record a 7-inch vinyl record with him.

The Duo, comprised of Dex and his sister, Sara, recently released “Ruins of Berlin.” It is a throwback record of sorts with numerous contemporary artists lending their talents to the cause, including Neko Case and Rick Miller from Southern Culture on the Skids. The album covers a wide range of genres, though it’s generally grounded in rockabilly, surf and lounge. Most of the songs feature transplanted 1960s riffs that match Romweber’s old-school, stoic baritone voice. The sound is tight, with a simmering, underlying energy that should translate well to a performance.

The Detroit Cobras, one of the most interesting garage bands touring today, should match Romweber’s energy. They play almost no original music, instead covering 1950s and ’60s soul songs with a conventionally rough, splotchy garage sound. While it is undeniably a gimmick, the band strives admirably to be more than that, largely by choosing only obscure songs to cover. They have four albums, and between them you will find only a handful of recognizable tunes. They may sing a Ronettes song, but it’s not going to be “Be My Baby.”

The Cobras’ lead singer, Rachel Nagy, is a perfect mix of soul-music seductress and punk-rock miscreant. Singing in a provocative smoky voice while pounding a beer and slinging an occasional four-letter word around, she is everything that Amy Winehouse tried so hard to be.

As a testament to this crossover prowess, the band routinely cajoles clubs of punk rockers to shake their hips by only the second or third song in their set. Given this genre’s traditional aversion to dancing, this is a feat that’s somewhat akin to coaxing Dick Cheney into reciting Maya Angelou.

With a $10 or $12 cover, the Memphis and Birmingham shows will more than offset the price of gas getting to the venue. Given that Romweber is getting older and the Cobras have long surpassed the average garage band’s short life, you may not have many other opportunities to see these acts individually, let alone on the same bill.

Original Article