Eminem Show, The (+DVD) [PA]

Entertainment Weekly - "...Em reveals the supposedly real Marshall: embattled entertainer, fervent defender of the First Amendment, and yes, devoted father...like a therapy session in which the shrink becomes a human beatbox..." - Rating: B Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[This] may be the best rap-rock album in history....THE EMINEM SHOW has the self-assurance of an artist at the top of his game and 'the' game..." NME - 9 out of 10 - "...A more personal, vulnerable, even-gulp!-mature artistic vision....SHOW is bigger, bolder and far more consistent than its predecessors...introspective without being self-pitying, expansive in scope without being pompous, exploring new directions without disappearing up its own arse. Its genius is mighty. It's the greatest 'Show' on earth." Q - Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 2002" Vibe - 4 out of 5 - "...[The] capacity to mix social commentary and self-parody and turn the whole thing into an amazing record is what makes Eminem so interesting..." Uncut - Ranked #19 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year" Spin - Ranked #5 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...On his fourth album, Eminem reflects and shows some real vulnerability, flipping in a blink from evil, sexist drip to sympathetic daddy/son to media-mad trickster." CMJ - "...Jam-packed with the same vitriol that made Eminem a household name to begin with..." Uncut - 3 out of 5 - "...As ever the wit is razor sharp....He's still baring enough of his soul for THE EMINEM SHOW to be compelling theatre." Rolling Stone - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002"

First time around, Eminem established his alter ego, Slim Shady, and second time at bat, he turned out The Marshall Mathers LP, delving deeper into his past while revealing his complexity as an artist. Third time around, it's The Eminem Show -- a title that signals that Eminem's public persona is front and center. He spends much of the album commenting on the media circus that has dominated on his life, all married to a production very similar to that of its predecessor -- spare, funky, fluid, and vibrant. The Eminem Show is essentially a holding pattern, but it's a glorious one; one that proves Eminem is the gold standard in pop music in 2002, delivering stylish, catchy, dense, funny, political music that rarely panders. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|