The Eminem Show

by

Eminem

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As witty as "The Marshall Mathers LP" was, "The Eminem Show" seems to be even wittier. This time, Eminem concentrates less on pushing buttons, and more on social and personal commentary.

Curtains Up(skit) - Just some sound effects giving the impression of Em walking up to a microphone.

White America - A heavy sounding song about how Eminem has unwittingly reached so many people in so many different ways. He points out how he wouldn't be targeted so much if he was black.

Business - Dre's G-funk production is easily recognizable here, and is just as groovy as ever. Em plays the role of Robin to Dre's Batman, much like the current video for "Without Me".

Cleaning Out My Closet - Self explanatory title. Here, Em once again vents his thoughts on his fame, ex-wife, and mother, but manages to say enough new stuff to keep from sounding repetative.

Square Dance - Don't let the title fool you, its still a rap song. Em says this song overall is intended to help you forget stuff and let loose. A few pot shots at Cannabis pop up here.

The Kiss(skit) - A loose recreation of the events that led to Eminem's arrest.

Soldier - With all the negative press, lawsuits, and newfound fame coming at him, Em describes himself as someone who keeps moving along despite all the pressure around him.

Say Goodbye to Hollywood - This seems to be Em saying that after all the things that have happened to him, he can't be carefree anymore.

Drips - A tale about how Obie Trice hooked up with a fictional girlfriend of Eminem, and wound up getting some kind of STD. Basically, this song is a graphic picture about the dangers of unprotected sex.

Without Me - The traditional, catchy, leadoff single with the Slim Shady persona in full force. Sounds different enough from "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady" to hold its own.

Paul Rosenbeurg(skit) - Em's manager urgently warns him not to carry his gun around.

Sing for the Moment - Using a sample of Aerosmith's "Dream on", Em tells us in his own unique way how and why kids are drawn to him and entertainers in general.

Superman - A twisted semi-love song about Em's ex-wife. He indicates they may get back together down the road, but for now he could care less because "I can't be your Superman".

Halie's Song - A heartfelt ode to his beloved daugher. Em himself admits that he can't sing that good. Someone said how this sounded similar to the boy bands that Em puts down. Well, the difference is he wrote this himself, and the feelings are real.

Steve Berman(skit) - The head of Interscope records doesn't get a chance to say what he wants to say about this album.

When the Music Stops - The members of D-12 lend a hand in telling how life can be rough when the focus is not on music anymore.

Say What U Say - Em and Dre go back and forth in dissing Jermaine Dupri.

'Till I Collapse - The beat is identical to Queen's "We Will Rock You", and makes for an arena-rock sounding ode to Em's desire to continue on. Nate Dogg provides a very catchy chorus.

My Dad's Gone Crazy - Em's daughter is featured here, and she comments on what we've known all along. All the subject matter on the album is summed up well in the last few verses.

Curtains Close(skit) - Ken Kaniff is left all by himself as "The Eminem Show" ends.

... about for a sec then tells his mind.Em shows his songwriting gift.VERY GOOD SONG.

20-Curtain's Close-Ken Keniff is back closing out the show.

Rating:

15/10

This CD really impressed me and should impress you as well.

Sorry this review is so long.Anyway this CD is well worth the 15 bucks.Hell, I think it should be more if u ask me.

At the outset, let me make it clear that I have nothing against pop-rap as a concept. There is nothing wrong with having big pop hooks to spice up your tracks every now and then - and listening to it certainly makes a good change from the "look at me, I'm so underground nobody's ever heard of me" style of MC that so many hip-hop fans listen to obsessively.

The problem with Eminem's style of pop-rap is that it tends to be too confessional at times, and on his third offering this problem becomes quite major. The clever wordsmithing of "The Slim Shady LP" is still there, and every so often a hook which wouldn't have been out of place on "The Marshall Mathers LP" crops up, The problem is that there just aren't enough of either to make "The Eminem Show" a rewarding listen.

The big success story here would have to be "Without Me". It's clear to see why the song was chosen as the lead-off single, Eminem's characteristically (and increasingly rare) nimble vocal style and sharp wit make the track well-deserving of the number one positions it has held around the world. Indeed, the irony of the reference to "parents stull listening to Elvis" should be palpable to everyone who has seen this track duel with "A Little Less Conversation" at the top of most charts. As previously mentioned, Eminem delivers some marvellous lyrics here, with the first verse taking the cake - especially the section about the doctor, Dick Cheney and the FCC. The beat, produced by an inspired Dr Dre (despite what Eminem's devoted acolytes would say, this is all too close to an oxymoron in the post-G Funk universe), contributes to what can easily be called a "driving song".

Sadly, the rest of the album does not deliver on the promise of the first single. Where "Slim Shady" had a number of lyrical gems waiting to be discovered and "Marshall Mathers" had almost every track capable of being a single, this album does not. Eminem's shouting voice - generally used to deliver his polemic-based raps - is overused here on tracks like "White America" and "Cleaning Out My Closet". While it is a nice reflection that he may finally have "found his muse", I for one would prefer him not to have found this particular one.

Not only is the voice overused, to the point of being more a shout or even a speaking voice at times, the targets of his rage are predictable and no new hits are landed. .... His rants about freedom of speech and the President's wife became commonplace under Clinton, so it is not surprising to hear them levelled again - with the minor change that the Vice-President's wife is now the human target.

The lyrics are not the only problem, from sounding positively re-engergised on "Without Me", Dre has slipped back into his rather pedestrian mode of production in which there is really no differentiation between tracks. I have heard that some other producers were involved on this album as well, in which case we are merely subjected to a morass of soundalike producers and productions, rather than one man sounding like himself. In short, nothing very new is said and nothing very new is played. The tracks also tend to extend beyond their welcome more frequently. On an album of this length, this becomes a considerable burden on the listener - who is required to endure (and this is quite the right word in many cases) these tracks for one-and-a-half times the normal (3-4 minute) length.

One final positive is that it is nice to hear Eminem finally make some reference to hip-hop history further back than Dre's time with NWA. The "trailer park girls" segment at the start of "Without Me" is a reference to Malcolm McLaren's seminal breakdance cut of "Buffalo Girls" - a track well worth finding and hearing, if anyone is so inclined.

Overall, a very disappointing listen and one which seems to be likely to be the prototype for future releases by this artist.