Encore is the forth individual spin that Eminem has put out since he debued as one of the most controversial rappers in the twentieth century, in the boy-band loving 1999. Bla bla bla. Those days are over. By now, even Slim Shady must be sick of hearing about how "good he was on Marshall Mathers LP" or how "raw his sound used to be".
He's Eminem, for God's sake. He knows how good he was. To expect Encore to be the same as Slim Shady LP or Marshall Mathers LP, or even Infinite, is childlike and stupid.
Every artist has to advance and change their style, to remain fresh and relevant as times change. This clich not only applies to Eminem, it's almost become his philosophy, every time he steps up to a recording booth.
Is Encore original? Before asking that to your self, play "Ass Like That". Go ahead, and answer your own self minded, media directed question. How many other artists do you know that will sing "don't kick me out of this movie theatre please / I did not even get to see Mary-Kate's shower seen."? Not many. Can you image Mobb Deep ranting "I killed Superman" or 50 Cent screaming "You're a meanie!"? Doubt it.
Encore is an individualistic effort by an artist who's trying hard not to ride of the wind of his previous effrots. No matter what your opinions are about them, the tracks are different than any other Eminem has recorded.
Encore has Eminem playing with his production skills like a child with a toy. His lyrics match the tantalizing and often dripping instrumentals. If I can compare it without committing serious rock music crime, I'll relate to the Beatle's White Album. If John experienced with different sounds in that album ("Sexy Sadie"), then Em sure matches him here ("Big Weenie", "My First Single") However, just like the White Album, Encore does has its down sides.
When Eminem gets serious, it's hard to take him so. Songs like "Like Toy Soldiers" and "Yellow Brick Road", although again different to anything Eminem has put out, still get boring and tirelessly repetitive after a couple of months.
Eminem had done it again, and honestly, I couldn't have asked anything more of him from his album. Sure, at over eighty minutes, it's a long listen, but the tracks where you see Eminem dripping with originality and experimenting, it's worth it. Buy it? If you're an Eminem fan, pick it up. Just in case it is his closing album, it might be useful.
