natch's Full Review: The Eminem Show [PA] by Eminem
Okay, I'm not "Mr. Rap." I'm not the all-knowing rap fan full of knowledge on the music and it's past, but I have followed many artists like Heiroglyphics, Blackalicious, Redman, Methodman, and Eminem as they made their way through the rap world. Eminem has always gotten respect from me because he told it like it is, had a way with his lyrics, and because he knew what pissed people off and played with it, getting him noticed, and eventually famous. However, The Eminem Show is not really what you expected, because Eminem takes a turn for the more serious side of his life. Slim Shady LP poked fun at everybody and everything, Marshall Mathers took it one step further, and now with The Eminem Show you get a closer look at the way things are for this rapper.
First, I'm choosing Marshall over his other surnames (Slim Shady, Eminem) because on this album he truly is Marshall, at least for the majority of the album. I consider him Eminem for his rapping about serious issues in the news (White America and Square Dance, both whose lyrics center on the state of America), Slim Shady when he raps about pop culture (Without Me is really the only track that bashes music and current culture), and Marshall when he takes a serious look at his life (Cleaning Out My Closet, Hailie's Song). The tone of this album is more serious and personal, therefore I tend to call him Marshall for this album.
The white rapper's trademark wit and quick mouth is ever-present here, with the clever ryhmes and excellent beats you expected from this much-anticipated album. Square Dance has a great hook that definitely does what it's name means: hooks you. And as the piano starts at the beginning of the song, you can't help but smile and nod your head with the beat, knowing what's coming is about to be great. And it is. Square Dance touches on the Army and state of terrorism, and as the music escalates with the lyrics, you actually get a small shiver up your spine.
Yeah you laugh 'til your motherfuckin' ass gets drafted
When you're in bed here thinkin' the draft can't happen
'Til you fuck around gettin anthrax napkin
Inside a package wrapped in saran-wrap wrappin'
Open the plastic, and then you stand back gaspin'
Fuckin' assassins hijackin' Amtrack's crashin'
All this terror, America demands action
Next thing you know, you've got Uncle Sam's ass askin'
To join our Army, or what you do for their Navy
You just a baby, gettin' recruited at 18
You're on a plane now eatin' that food and that baked beans
I'm 28, they gon take you 'fore they take me
The dark, Phantom-of-the-Opera-ish keyboards and heavy beat perfectly contrasts with the southern hook, giving it a dark, yet also bouncy feeling:
C'mon now
Let's all get on down
Let's doh-si-doh now
We don't have a good plan
Dont' be scerrd 'cause
therr ain't nut'in to werrr 'bout
Let'chor hair down
Square Dance
It's masterful mixes of music styles and serious/silly lyrics like Square Dance does that makes The Eminem Show such a delight to listen to. At least at first.
I'll tell you straight up: Eminem sings on one track of this album. Most of the reviews (the main popular ones, anyway) on this site consider this to be a Con. This is something I just don't understand. Okay, sure; he does not have a singing voice, and even admits in the beginning that "I can't sing." The track is a slower R&B-ish (yeah, you read that right) tribute to his daughter Hailie, who he (apparently) got custody of earlier this year during the recording of the album. To quote Marshall from the track, "I feel like singing, cause I'm happy. I got my baby back." Getting custody of your child would probably make anyone happy, and if Marshall wants to sing about it, then that's okay with me. The lyrics to the song (the singing part, anyway) aren't complex, and aren't the most amazing thing you'll ever hear, but I'll be damned if it doesn't touch you just a little bit. And this "moment" that you get from Marshall is only one of the things that makes this album stand out.
The Eminem Show also hides a few other surprises I wasn't expecting. Aside from the more serious, painful, and personal overtone of the album with songs like Sing For The Moment which samples Aerosmith's Dream On, and Cleaning Out My Closet which focuses on Marshall's mom and his mistreatment and upbringing, the album also manages to have a light-hearted feel for it. You aren't going to stop listening to this album feeling depressed, but rather intruiged.
So is The Eminem Show all dark and serious? Heck no. Business is Eminem as we all remember him, and Without Me is a return to the extremely lighthearted, no-real-goal-but-piss-off-as-many-people-as-possible Slim Shady we all know and love. Or hate. And ironically, he makes a point with Without Me: Love me or hate me, you all missed having me around to talk about. And it's true. As soon as you listen to The Eminem Show, you do realized that you missed the guy being in the news, on the TV, and listening to his stuff on your CD player when it was brand new. And that's the feeling that The Eminem Show brings back. It's almost nostalgia. Almost.
So I've been waxing poetic on The Eminem Album, but why only 4 stars? Because there are really only 5 songs on this album I absolutely love. The rest are barely memorable, and go in one ear and out the other, to tell you the truth. Don't get me wrong, I listened closely to the whole CD, and it's all very good, but aside from 5 tracks, the rest just isn't AS good, or memorable. You won't be making a mistake picking up this CD, because it IS good, and the 5 awesome songs make it well worth the price. And who knows, maybe you'll like the rest of the album more than I did. In the end though, I only reccomend this CD because the tracks listed below exist on it.
Does The Eminem Show cuddle up to offensive lyrics like past albums by the rapper have? Not really, suprisingly. There are a few times where he wanders into old territory, but only two songs, to my immeadiate memory, contain lyrics that made me shift in my seat a little thinking "christ..." The album is definitely the most serious of Eminem's, and therefore has the potential for being the best, since no one was really expecting it. However, it manages to fall short in a few keys areas, making it a must-listen, at least. To answer my own question, is The Eminem Show a masterpiece? Not quite, but it is one hell of a ride that I would reccomend to any music fan.
Best Tracks(in order of best-ness):
Square Dance
Hailie's Song
Business
Sing For The Moment
White America
The Eminem Show, produced largely by Em himself, finds the formerly Shady one letting go of the cartoonish thump he perfected with Dr. Dre in favor of...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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