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Editorial Reviews

With Encore, Eminem continues his reign as rap music's most controversial figure. On his fourth album, the Shady One continues to display the Jekyll and Hyde tendencies we've come to expect, detailing his love for his daughter Hailie ("Mockingbird") and disdain for his estranged wife Kim ("Puke") with equal aplomb. At times, his sonic experiments, such as the elastic cadences and nursery rhyme harmonies, make the album sound more alt-rock than rap, and post-pubescent listeners might be offended by the bodily function sound effects that pepper several songs, including the aforementioned "Puke." Fortunately, however, even when Em veers off track, the good Dr. Dre, who steers half the beats, keeps the music rooted in hardcore hip-hop, as on the plodding and melancholy chords of the politically volatile "Mosh." In the tradition of the Dido-sampled "Stan," "Like Toy Soldiers" samples Martika's "Toy Soldiers," adding snappy, military styled drums to the original's vocals as Eminem mulls the folly of his well publicized beefs with The Source Magazine and 50 Cent nemesis Ja Rule. These songs show that Marshall Mathers continues to tackle timely topics with reflective maturity, and that sort of soul-baring will make Encore a long running performance. Alvin Aqua Blanco Barnes & Noble

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