The Eminem Show
It's all a matter of perspective. Is this
guy the great white hope, or just a total clown? The opening
track, "White America," is a great example of what Eminem can
do when he puts his mind to it. Pointing out the hypocrisy of
MTV, idol
worship and the odd consumerism of American parents, Eminem
complains about the rabid fan base and equally rabid media that
have essentially made his career. It's like watching Back
to the Future and trying to figure out the occurrence of
events and how one thing could exist without the other. I guess
it's a chicken and egg thing--and everyone ends up using each
other for gain, and ends up the hypocrite. Then he moves on
to "Cleaning Out My Closet," where he claims he would never
"diss" his momma--as he proceeds to diss his momma. Is the guy
really a tortured artist, or just a brilliant opportunist who
uses his family (including his daughter and estranged wife)
to sell millions of albums? Either way, he's rich and Kim and
Halie and his mom are all famous because of it. Regardless of
his motivations, Eminem still makes most MC's lyrics sound like
a drunken, midnight reading of Goodnight Moon. There's
no doubt the man is talented, and is at the top of the heap
in terms of lyrics, writing and delivery, but it'll be interesting
to see if he can move beyond his "whoa is me, I'm a celebrity"
attitude and break new ground on his next album. By the way,
I still hate skits on albums. |
Encore
Where did this weird accent come from? On the second track, "Evil Deeds," Eminem all of sudden has this strange pseudo-Triumph the Insult Comic Dog thing going on. I think that accent comes back on Relapse, and it’s annoying in both instances, as with the exception of "Ass Like That" I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it. Luckily it subsides (but comes back on "Rain Man" and, of course, "Ass Like That"), but for some reason he just doesn’t sound like the same force he was on his three former albums (not to mention the 8 Mile soundtrack). It’s like he’s trying something new out, but it doesn’t quite fit him. His flow just seems stilted, and the power is lacking from his delivery. I miss the pissed off, crazy Eminem whose ADD outbursts are as shocking as they are amazing. This one sounds at times like a dude putting his diary to verse. Some of it is the over-the-top production, which fails him at times. Seems Dr. Dre was trying to make a "big" album, but it just sounds like a man drowning in background nonsense. As a follow-up to "Lose Yourself," honestly one of the best hip-hop songs ever recorded (yeah, I fuckin’ said it), they couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle here and take something that is raw and emotional and powerful and bring the inside out. Instead it’s an amalgam of stupidity (like that same lead single "Ass Like That") poop jokes (like "Lose It"), and wa-wa. C’mon man, bring it. |
The Marshall Mathers LP |
Recovery |
Relapse |
Relapse: Refill |
The Slim Shady LP |
Musical Connections:
Dr. Dre
|
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