Eminem Show, The (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Eminem > Reviews > The Ultimate Show

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money

Advantages:	Good music, underlying messages in the lyrics, interesting inside sleeve, amazing lyrics
Disadvantages:	some repetitive beats in tracks, sound on two tracks isn't very original

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This album has been highly anticipated by many people waiting for the third instalment of the Marshall Mathers saga. The album has received major publicity from MTV in the form of interviews with Eminem himself in which he has promoted the album as the midway point between his previous two. With all the hype and praise following it’s release the Eminem show couldn’t wait to be added to my CD collection.

It’s initial appearance represents a departure from the murderous tones of his previous two albums portraying Eminem as a performer on stage behind a curtain. The front sleeve isn’t too appealing because of it’s dull tones but the rave reviews and hype still convinced me to buy the album.

The first thing that hit me about this album was the departure of the public service announcement from the first track spot which had been used for his previous two & D12’s Devil’s Night album. Instead we have a calm opening with a jewellery box jingle and a microphone being beaten.
Next is the powerful ‘White America’. A powerful assault on American parents through his lyrics Eminem also attacks those who oppose him or look at him as a white man trying to be black. The lyrics of this song are far more impressive with their message being stronger than previous songs.
This is followed by the strangely comedic ‘Business’ in which Eminem seems to portray himself as a living comedy show. The beat sounds like a distorted D12 song which seems weak on the part of Eminem and overall this song is relatively weak compared to previous material.
The 2nd single from the album ‘Cleanin Out My Closet’ brings out the dark side of Eminem. A dark beat similar to ‘The Way I Am’ on the Marshall Mathers LP and some extremely strong lyrics make this song the best of the album. Reminiscing on his childhood & his relationship with his parents Eminem is publicly justifying his treatment of his mother. The lyrics ‘I am dead, dead to you as can be’ send a chillingly personal message to his mum and contain strong undertones about parent/child relations. One of his best songs ever.
‘Square Dance’ is a more upbeat version of the previous track without the strong lyrics. The lyrics are somewhat unsuited to the heavy beat and the track sounds rather strange. This track doesn’t really fit with the album and is relatively weak.
‘The Kiss’ is a good insight into Eminem’s side of the story on the incident involving ex-wife Kim and the gun at the nightclub.
‘Soldier’ has yet another dark & heavy beat to it but an original sounding one this time. The chorus makes reference to the weight he is currently carrying on his shoulders and how he won’t give in to it. Probably a message to his father. A solid addition to the album.
Track 8 is the prophetic ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’ in which Eminem looks at the end of his era and the reasons behind it. Yet again the song is reminiscent on his past and also talks about Hailie. In general this song is a better version of Soldier.
‘Drips’ is a very much D12 influenced song and features Obie Trice. Malicious towards women with lots of reference to alcohol, drugs & sex this song is very out of place on the album. Not as dark but not as upbeat as the following track this song isn’t one of the albums better.
Track 10 ‘Without Me’ is the first single from the album and shows the fun side of Eminem again. An original beat and strong lyrics sent this song to number 1 in the UK and make it an excellent song.
‘Paul Rosenberg’ is a silly skit where someone phones Eminem telling him to stop taking his gun out of his house.
Track 12 ‘Sing For The Moment’ has a similar dark beat to ‘Soldier’. The power of his lyrics are yet again felt in this song where he attacks his critics directly. A strange chorus makes this song sound very unlike an Eminem song but gives the song depth. The only weak point is the guitar solo however, this track is very good and worthy of it’s place.
‘Superman’ looks a the expectations surrounding Eminem and his love life. Whether he is reminiscing on his relationship with Kim or looking at the future is unclear but the song is nonetheless a very good song.
‘Hailie’s Song’ was highly praised by Eminem himself on an MTV interview as one of his best and with good reason. The song conveys Eminem’s current mental state and how Hailie is his rock throughout all of it. The lyrical talent Eminem displays throughout this album is signified through this song especially. An excellent song.
For track 15 the Steve Berman skit from his previous album has been re-invented with a new twist where Eminem kills Steve.
‘When The Music Stop’s’ is a more upbeat song but still has the dark feeling to it’s beat. D12 feature heavily on the song and keep it consistent. The song has no real message to it other than questioning the critic’s reasoning. Another solid link within the chain.
‘Say What You Say’ is a great big middle finger to all of the artists who have passed a negative reference to Eminem and his relationship with Dre. This is a dark attack like most of the album but is inventive with it’s lyrics and is an excellent song.
Track 18 is title ‘Till I Collapse’ continues the attack on his peers. Nate Dogg carries the chorus for this equally heavy-beated song and Eminem has sole responsibility for the lyrics and yet again he exceeded my expectations. Another excellent track.
‘My Dad’s Gone Crazy’ actually features Eminems daughter Hailie. The song is an upbeat culmination of all of his previous albums with homophobic reference, negative attitudes towards women (and Vanilla Ice). The beat is consistent and becomes dark with church bells in the background for a while but this song is an excellent final song for the album.
‘Curtain’s Up’ is an album closing skit featuring the homosexual Ken Kaniff.

Overall, this album just about lived up to it’s expectations. I wasn’t blown away or amazed by the whole album. Instead the overall darkness of the songs surprised me but I was wholly impressed by the lyrical talent Eminem has shown. My opinion of Eminem’s use of expletive’s has now been changes. The album is a mixture of songs of which only one isn’t worth being on the album. Very impressive but I still prefer listening to the Marshall Mathers LP.