"Recovery"

(Aftermath/Shady/Interscope, June 22)

When Eminem announced the title change to his oft-delayed upcoming album, now called "Recovery," he said it was because "as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to 'Relapse' started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on 'Recovery' came out very different from 'Relapse,' and I think it deserves its own title."

In comparison to the "Relapse 2" album, "Recovery" will be "accessible to more fans," according to his manager Paul Rosenberg.

"He had pretty much completed a whole second album worth of material but at some point he took a step back, looked at it and said, 'I think I want to record some more,' " Rosenberg says. "But in recording, the album started to sound so different . . . that he decided to keep it going and turn it into a whole new album. The last album was really for the core Eminem fans. I think this record will open that up a bit."

To present the friendlier sound, there's Shady's first single, "Not Afraid," which is less "dark" and more so "an uplifting song," Rosenberg says of the Boi-1da-produced track. While Rosenberg was mum about other songs and collaborators set to appear on the album, he did confirm that producers Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin and Mr. Porter have contributed to the set. He also revealed that, with the exception of one song, "Recovery" is complete.

While Rosenberg says "Recovery" has the potential to reach more fans, others assure the album will still have all the elements of a typical Eminem record, which longtime fans have grown to love. Last year, the rapper's friend and producer the Alchemist told AllHipHop.com that the album sounds like "the most psychotic shit I've ever heard," and DJ Whoo Kid, a member of Eminem's D12 crew, revealed to MTV that "the crazy, lyrical, maniacal Eminem is back."

Rosenberg has also hinted at a potential stateside tour after Eminem's European performances, and in response to requests from up-and-coming rapper Yelawolf to collaborate with Eminem, Rosenberg says, "Yelawolf is great. Em's heard of him and I've known about him for a while. So we've definitely been checking what he's doing, and think he sounds really good."

Previous album and sales: "Relapse," 1.9 million (according to Nielsen SoundScan)