he only surprise that you’ll find on D12 World is the absence of an opening skit or introduction to the album. Eminem is all over this album, especially his generic production style (all six of his production's sounding like polished up bad electro with a thicker sounding beat), which lack the cheap grit of its hip-hop forebears or the percussive madness of its nastier electronica cousin. He (and co-producers The Bass Brothers) lack that spark that makes a talented producer (that RZA rawness, Eric Sermon’s funk or Havoc’s Gothicism) work stand out from the pack, though I suppose some credit is due for not slipping into the comfortable groove of the typical that Diddy and Kayne tread. This lack of spark is very quickly evident on D12 World with the production on the two opening two tracks, “Git Up” and “Loyalty”, being very very similar. The terrible midi double bass on “Get my Gun” and the similarity between “6 in the Mornin” and “Square Dance” (from his previous solo LP The Eminem Show) are among the most audibly obviously heinous beat crimes on the album, but dig deeper if you must, because it’s not just the production. Eminem, since The Slim Shady LP, has been increasingly less and less enjoyable as an MC. Having been a fan of the humour and the skills on his debut and not the minutiae of his real life story, I miss the wordplay and the fun provided within each listen. If you needed any solid confirmation of his lack of lyrical fire right now: he’s recommending you go out and buy the new Cypress Hill album.

There are others involved, of course. Denaun Porter’s handful of production credits, both here and on Devil’s Night, seldom sound as good as “P.I.M.P.”, “Stunt 101” or even the upside down circus sound of “My Band” flipside “BNU”, but they bring a bit of life to the album. Both “I’ll be Damned” and “U R the One” manage to utilise strong sing-along pop hooks with something with a bit more ass to it than Eminem’s melodies rattling around those big empty beats. On a sort of related issue there is a stormingly ugly Lil Jon remix of “40 Oz” doing the mixtape circuit rounds right now which leaves the album version (produced by Track Boyz) up diarrhoea creek with straws instead of paddles. Dre’s the only other producer pulling his own here, his two contributions being the precise, lifeless and plodding tracks he’s known for.

As for guests, apart from the appearance of a 50 Cent sample in the last few seconds of “Leave dat Boy Alone” there aren’t any G-Unit appearances here. I’d expected Banks at least, (the next man in the extended Aftermath family to drop his solo album) as Shady normally run their business tag team style; in fact it’s a surprisingly bad business decision to not have a few verses from 50 on this album. Many beefs have been started over much lesser slights. Oh. And the rest of the group? Well, the problem with D12 isn’t that all of them are crap, its just that they’re not given enough room to breath and prove themselves to be better than average. Bizarre has already given us all he has to offer, his attempts to push the barriers of taste with his adolescent rhymes boil down to him touching upon as many taboo ideas as possible and then relating it to his little trouser snake. It must be doubly insulting when you consider that Bizarre is the only member to have been given a solo track, the Mos Def and Nas ribbing “Just like U”. The consequences of this are partly explored in the lead single, “My Band”, another example of how Eminem (to quote Rabbit) ‘flipped the script’ on those who would rip the piss out of D12 for being faceless, voiceless backup rappers. It’s doubtful whether Eminem taking up his crew’s valuable rhyming time with an advert for non-existent Salsa will bring much consolation to Kuniva and Swift, as dreams of solo efforts slip further away. Eminem’s improvidence on this matter will be the major factor in why D12 are never going to be able to stand their ground as MCs out of Em’s shadow. Judging by D12 World it’s going to take at least another group album for someone to present themselves as able.