albums and tracks

'Crack A Bottle', Eminem's first single for three years, is a Slim Shady record. It's from the comic book end of the rapper's repertoire, typified by cartoon violence, repulsive toilet imagery and superhuman bravado. It's familiar ground, only this time Dr Dre and 50 Cent are both along for the ride - what could go wrong?

Mase... sorry, Fiddy, mumbles his way along semi-coherently as usual, while Dre spends most of his verse seemingly deciding which car he's going to drive today. It's comical alright, but for all the wrong reasons.

Eminem has built his reputation and considerable material wealth on a mix of wit, intelligence and surreal narrative skill, all gapingly absent here. Yet, with three of the biggest names in mainstream hip-hop on board, this will almost certainly barge its way into the Top 10.