Eminem:
Curtain Call

Release Date: 2 December 2005

Reviewed By: Usman Sajjad

1.Intro (Curtain Call)

2.FACK

3.The Way I Am

4.My Name Is

5.Stan

6.Lose Yourself

7.Shake That

8.Sing For The Moment

9.Without Me

10.Like Toy Soldiers

11.The Real Slim Shady

12.Mockingbird

13.Guilty Conscience

14.Cleanin' Out My Closet

15.Just Lose It

16.When I'm Gone

17.Stan (Live w/ Elton John)

The Game - The Documentary
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“I came, I saw, I conquered, from record sales to sold out concerts” Jay-Z famously exclaims on his 2004 hit ‘Encore’ from his final album. Like Jay-Z, Eminem has reached that feat in his successful six-year rap career in the public eye. Eminem has conquered the music industry, from his time living in a trailer on the tough streets of Detroit, to rising through the ranks, not only as a highly credible emcee and a household name, but also as a white rapper in a predominantly black man’s game.

Through Dr Dre’s recruitment, Eminem’s first album ‘The Slim Shady LP’ sold millions, and laid the groundwork for future classics such as ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ and ‘The Eminem Show’. However, the rap game has thrown curveballs at the music mogul, including family lawsuits, racial allegations from The Source’s owners, and beefs - a whole load of them! The album is much like his greatest hits, featuring tracks that have entertained fans over the years, and, to entice more fans, Em has included three new singles.

The new single ‘When I’m Gone’, like the Detroit rapper explains on the DVD with the CD, is a testament to where the rapper is currently at with his life, explaining how his rap career has affected his wife and daughter’s lives, and how his trip to rehab, due to his addiction to sleeping pills, has changed his outlook on life. This serious side of the rapper shows fans the real Marshall Mathers, such as on ‘Cleanin’ Out My Closet’ and ‘Mockingbird’, exposing tales of his turbulent upbringing and current family life, and the classic ‘The Way Am’, has Em bring a whole range of issues up from his then shaky marriage to record sales with lyrics such as: “Im so sick and tired of being admired that I wish that I would just die or get fired/ And dropped from the label and stop with the fables/ I’m not gonna be able to top ‘My Name Is’.”

Versatility is what has got the Detroit artist where he is today, so the feature of his infamous single ‘Stan’ is likely to bring memories back of his ruling of charts worldwide, and controversial moments, including when Eminem, the openly homophobic rapper, performed a duet with Elton John, silencing critics. Other amazing singles are included such as ‘Sing For The Moment’, the diverse single including the Aerosmith sample. On ‘Shake That’, one of the new tracks on the album, Nate Dogg accompanies Marshall on a club-adapted hit, which is for me, one of the most addictive songs to listen to.

His blockbuster film ‘8 Mile’ also created the soundtrack lead single ‘Lose Yourself’, the ultimate ‘Eye of the Tiger’ rocky anthem of this time. With its creeping, deep guitar chords at the start to the incredible percussion throughout, the record produced by Eminem stands out as one of his finest, not to exclude the sharp lyrics.

From his serious side, like Jekyll and Hyde, there is the humorous, more obnoxious side to Eminem, his ‘Slim Shady persona’, a name he apparently devised whilst sitting on a toilet one day. His character is clearly displayed for the whole world to listen to on hits such as the awful ‘Just Lose It’ and ‘My Name Is’.

So there it is, 17 tracks of Eminem’s greatest works over these last six years. His trials and tribulations are all on the album, in amongst the lyrics for all to listen to, and one can easily see the impact Eminem has had on the music industry.

Rating: 4 Out of 5

Top 3 Tracks:

6. Lose Yourself

7. Shake That featuring Nate Dogg

8. Sing For The Moment

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