Disco de Eminem: “Encore [PA]”

Pus***s. That's the only word for it. If you are a fan and giving this album more than 3 stars, your review should be null and void. Who are you trying to fool - how does this compare to the last three cd that Slim Shady wrote? That's the problem - it doesn't and it shouldn't. The last 3 titles were excellent - they contained what most rapper's 50 point i.q.'s could have bearly picked up upon - political, social, and controversial issues mixed in with complex and difficult vocals, yet fun lyrics and good beats. Slim Shady will always be remembered as the guy who stood against the masses and said f*** the world despite the critics and he will be remembered as the only rapper, besides Tupac, that actually had some deep and intellectual meanings (if not at times overly sarcastic to the point of being questioned) behind the words he spoke. As a fan of Eminem, I feel it is my responsibility and duty to incorporate the ironies I've learned within the last Eminem cds and deliver you a shockingly controversial, yet politically correct message: This cd SUCKS BALLS. It lacks everything that Eminem stood for, and if your not comparing this cd to Eminem's last cds, then let it be known that you would have never heard this cd in the first place......no one would take this serious. Even the singles can't even compete with such horrid junk-a-crunk songs such as "freek-a-leek" and endless lil' john remixes. If Slim Shady has moved on and "grown-up" then perhaps all we are waiting for is his fans - who still think that any cd he brings out is above average.

I think this album is both good and bad. Some of the lyrical content has been recycled from his past CD's and some of the lyrics are kind of on the ridiculous side. I think Just Lose It is probably the best song from this CD, if you don't like that song, chances are that you probably aren't going to like anything else. I would say the best songs from here are Mockingbird, A* Like That, and Ricky Ticky Toc. Some of the other songs have good beats and I would listen to those second from my favorites, but there really isn't anything extremely memorable besides the tracks that I listed. Overall, this is not a bad effort, I think it's better than The Eminem Show (I didn't really care for that album), but it's nowhere near The Marshall Mathers LP (I think that's as great as Em is going to get, he really outdid himself there, it's going to be almost impossible to repeat that)

Well, as another reviewer already posted, Em appears to be running out of material. Let me start by saying that i am a huge fan. And because of that, this album was an even bigger disappointment. Eminem Show was a fantastic CD. So were his others. But this one falls FAR FAR short of the first 3 (not counting 8 mile). It even falls short of some of the rather clever mix tapes and diss tracks he's done recently.

Don't get me wrong, there are some good songs. Toy Soldiers is a good one for example. Great idea to use that beat. But for the most part its just him alternately rapping about loving or hating Kim, and loving Haley, for 15 songs with a slightly different beat in each of them. There are also very few guest appearances (even Dre and 50 are barely on there). I guess i saw it coming when Just Lose it was the first single out and i saw that it was nowhere near as good as the other first singles that have come out (My name is, Guess whose back, or even purple pills and My band on the D12 albums). While the video for Just Lose It is pretty funny, the song isnt. The screaming gets annoying after a while, and there are not really any clever lyrics. (But the video is funny). And with that being said, its still one of the best songs on the CD.

With over 2 years to make this CD Em could definitely have done better than this. It clearly shows that he's been spending all of his time producing and not writing.

I have mixed emotions on this album, but for those not wanting to read on, the album is excellent and I'd definitely recommend you purchase. Now, having pre-ordered Encore from Amazon.com I gave in to the temptation of download a leaked copy and can now only thank myself for doing so before writing this review. I, like many opinions I have come across, instantly felt disappointed and felt that this album somewhat lacked the complete feel of an Eminem album I was so used too.

It is clear there is a lot more effort for comedy tracks which stands out clearly when compared to the albums more serious tracks which don't go that deep. There is a decent balance and it is clear Eminem has a business mind as there are various tracks which you could easily hear young teenage girls signing along too, but on the other end of the spectrum there are tracks which those who consider themselves a 'true hip hop head' couldn't fault. A point I should note (and I'm sure many more feel similar), although being critical on this album, this is because we are after all, comparing this to arguably the best hip hop albums of all time (Marshall Mathers LP and The Slim Shady LP) and with that I shall state that this is 90% better then anything else being brought out of the hip hop world.

In terms of content, this carries on where the Eminem Show left off, no longer are we shocked by the quality of the rhymes, urged to rewind and listen in awe and Eminem spits another bar which surprises. The lyrical genius simply isn't on this album and it's almost a completely different artist to who we knew up till 2002. But, the same could be said for the Eminem Show, which became his biggest selling album. An obvious amount of attention has been paid to the flow, which is almost flawless and although some may argue otherwise, shows Eminem is on top of the game and no one will come close. The tracks 'My 1st Single', 'Evil Deeds' and 'Crazy in love' for example show this, and perhaps the skill only hits you when trying to rap along with the lyrics and it suddenly hits you how effortlessly Eminem is capable and the statement he once made 'Your not even impressed no more, your used to it'. We all know that Eminem's career was built on the foundation of controversy, which although gave his all the fame, now works again him as along with maturity, came responsibilities and no longer could he release an album offending everyone and expect to receive the same feedback. It's the new personal side to Eminem, the one which shares his most inner feelings and life happenings which has replaced the crazed Slim Shady and has caused the divide from Slim Shady LP era fans and the 'new generation' who became fans after the Eminem show. An album like Encore, is bound to appeal to many, so although he could never please everyone, with this I believe the majority are catered for.

So back to the album, the main topics rapped on are his family and history, whether it be the love/hate relationship with his wife Kim ( spoken of in tracks such as 'puke', 'crazy in love' and the amazing 'love you more' which appears on the bonus disk ), the love for his daughter ( check 'mockingbird' one of his most emotional tracks to date, a ballad to his daughter and niece trying to explain the situation surround his life and that of his wife ) or his growing up and recent events ( 'evil deeds', 'like toy soldiers' and 'yellow brick road' a track which addresses the racist tapes exposed by the Source). With in many tracks mentioned, Eminem does what he does best, spreading his feelings and thoughts through his music. What seems to be a desperate attempt to cause controversy fails on tracks such as 'my 1st single', which mention under age sex / R Kelly etc and tracks like 'Ass like that' and 'Rain man' can only make you wonder what Eminem was drinking while writing.

Have decided to leave track details out of this review, leaving it relatively fresh for those yet to listen but one thing I will say is, I very much agree with how the album does grow on you. Even after 2 listens I was growing to love the album and can now easily say it's one of the best in my collection. Wouldn't any album grow on you? Aren't I biased due to being an Eminem fan? I'll leave that decision to you, but those wanting more from Eminem from a fresh new perspective and those especially who are fans will love this album. It's a step away from 'true hip hop', but what is true hip hop and what are its limits? This is something Eminem has chosen not to stick close to and as mentioned before, he makes an album so he's happy with it, presuming we will be too... I am, and know I won't be the only one. From a listen and a view of the artwork, it does give the impression that Eminem is putting an end to all his lifes issues (looking back on his life as if it's come to and end, giving the best conclusion to his relationship and giving us another insight to his life) and with suicidal clear on the artwork ... what does this mean? Is this the end of Eminem's career, or is it announcing the end of a stage in his career and a totally new sound to come? We can only anticipate what's to come next, but for now this album shouldn't disappoint and bar a few tracks, is an amazing album. Just give it the chance it deserves, and I'm sure you'll soon agree. The curtains are now closed for a final time, and the show has ended with a bang.

This is a great album, but I wasn't feeling that after the first listen. That is because em creates music that grows on you because there is nothing else out there like it. The people who rated this low will ultimately change their minds once they listen to the album enough. A classic eminem at his best, who proves this time around he can rap about nothing and make completely no sense and still be genious.

If you havent listened to em's albums before this I suggest you study those first otherwise you won't understand what he is spitting.

. (Curtains Up - Encore Version)

2. Evil Deeds 4/5

3. Never Enough 4.5/5

4. Yellow Brick Road 5.5/5 best storyteller

5. Like Toy Soldiers 6.5/5 good boy eminem

6. Mosh 6/5

7. Puke 4/5

8. My 1st Single 4/5

9. Paul [Skit]

10. Rain Man 5/5 grows on you, fat beat (original)

11. Big Weenie 4.5/5

12. Em Calls Paul [Skit]

13. Just Lose It 5/5

14. Ass Like That 5/5

15. Spend More Time 5.5/5 great song

16. Mockingbird 7/5 the best

17. Crazy In Love 6/5 how did he do that?

18. One Shot 2 Shot 4/5

19. Final Thought [Skit]

20. Encore/Curtains Down 5/5 classic west coast beats

In other words listen to the album, it will grow on you and you'll love it. Like he says in the album let him take you on a journey and hypnotize you, if you are resistant than you must be a republican bush fan. Because em lets everyone know on "Mosh" if he had to snipe you know who it would be tonight. Lyrically untouchable, this album will be in your cd player until everyone else hates you. He even talks about getting dre to do another album in the last track, look for "detox" by dre coming out in the next couple of years. Em poses as triumph the insult dogg, talks about jojo, jessica simpson, hilary duff, and heck even arnold makes a guest appearance screaming "get down!!!" Which is what everyone should be doing, getting on their knees and worshipping this album for what it is. GREAT!!!