Our look at the closing lines of the week’s biggest new-music reviews continues with a roundup of reactions to Relapse, the sixth album by Eminem:

• ”With Relapse, Eminem has reminded listeners what captivated them about him 10 years ago and what held their attention for the subsequent six years. The vibe is fresh yet nostalgic—the ideal arrangement for a successful comeback. Em’s new album is a potent product; it’s time we all relapse.” [Zack Einhorn, AllHipHop]

• ”As with all of Eminem’s albums, Relapse is too long–76 minutes!–and could have benefitted from some judicious trims. Still, recovery isn’t meant to be rushed, and it’s clear Em’s got a lot of issues yet to work through. After a long absence from music, Relapse is a positive step forward in Eminem’s career rehab. ” [Adam Graham, Detroit News]

• ”Relapse is the first album Eminem has made after returning from his own brink, and it’s an impressively focused and clever work. But this music is not transcendent. It’s still stuck in Marshall Mathers’ muck, his fundamental mistrust of pleasure and love. Maybe he just needs a new therapist. Or a new mask.” [Ann Powers, LA Times]

• ”Has the pathological smart-aleck finally become a self-parody? He admits as much in ‘Same Song and Dance.’ But the funniest and most honest moment arrives just as the album fades. It depicts Eminem (as the character Ken Kaniff) at another rehab meeting, trying out an X-rated soft-shoe routine on another audience, which quickly abandons him. ‘Where’s everybody goin’?’ he mutters. ‘Wait, I got another one …’ ” [Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune]