Customer Reviews

Encore

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am a good fan of Eminem's work but with this album, Encore, he really lets people down. The beats are very good but only a couple songs stick out with good rhymes (in which most of the rhymes come from guest artists). It seems Eminem is really losing his edge with rap & should become more concerned with his production, since that is what is good from the album. In general if you are a real rap fan and like Eminem I would recommend NOT buying this album brand new, maybe buy it at a used price. This is the saddest encore I have ever seen an artist do. Eminem needs rhyming help!!!!

With the exception of 'Like Toy Soldiers', this album is basically crap. When will Eminem learn nobody wants to hear him sing on every single hook? 'Evil Deeds' wouldn't be terrible if he didn't have that annoying chorus. But he did, and it was terrible. 'Puke', 'My 1st Single', 'Ass Like That', 'Just Lose It', 'Big Weenie', 'Crazy In Love', and 'One Shot 2 Shot' all range from bad to worse. 'Ass Like That' is funny once, but it doesn't last long and it isn't even that funny. And don't get me started on 'Just Lose It'.

Another problem is 'Mosh'. Too much anger rapped way too slow. It's supposed to sound like a speech, but it just doesn't work.

The problems go on with this album. The lyrics are average at best, and the production will hold your interest for a few listens max. If you're a diehard Eminem fan, you'll probably enjoy this. If you were hoping Eminem would make a good album again, then better luck next time.

Pretty good cd..wasn't dissapointed. Is or almost as good as The Eminem Show. The Dre production helped a lot. Here my reviews of the songs:

1) Curtains Up - decent intro to the cd. (3/5)
2) Evil Deeds - I like this song a lot. Nice chorus and beat. )(5/5)
3) Never Enough feat. 50 Cent, and Nate Dogg - decent beat and good lyrics. good chorus(4/5)
4) Yellow Brick Road - beat could have been better, decent lyrics (3/5)
5) Like Toy Soldiers - Great song. (5/5)
6) Mosh - good song good video (4.5/5)
7) Puke - I like this song a lot. good beat and chorus. lyrics need some work but they're funny (5/5)
8) My 1st Single - decent. good chorus..lyrics aren't good on this one. (3/5)
9) Paul (skit) - (3/5)
10) Rain Man - I like this song a lot. good beat and chorus. lyrics need some work but they're funny. Yeah it's sick he's making fun of a dead guy but it's eminem. (5/5)
11) Big Weenie - average beat and lyrics aren't great. (2/5)
12) Em Calls Paul (skit) - funny (3/5)
13) Just Lose It - (4/5)
14) Ass Like That - funny song, good beat and chorus. (4.5/5)
15) Spend Some Time feat. Obie Trice, Stat Quo, and 50 Cent - average beat, good chorus, good lyrics (4/5)
16) Mockingbird - great song. good chorus and lyrics. reminds me of Hailie's song. (5/5)
17) Crazy In Love - average song. too much singing, beat is decent. (3.5/5)
18) One Shot 2 Shot feat D12 - decent beat. good lyrics and chorus. (4/5)
19) Final Thought (skit) -
20) Encore feat. Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent/Curtains - Great song. good beat, good lyrics, good chorus. good song to end with. (5/5) Curtains was a good skit to end the cd with too. (5/5)

Overall..probably a 4.5/5 or 5/5. Good cd. Probably best rap album of the year.

First let me say that I am big fan of em, so I expect the best from him when he puts something out. Most great artists fall short of bringing the blaze everytime they grab the mic(Method Man, Jay-Z, Mos Def, and em too), the exception being Biggie Smalls, and perhaps Jadakiss and my guy Nas. This album is exactly what the title states, it's an encore to the eminem show. However, not quite as good. Nothing great from any guest appearances. Outstanding tracks include: Mockingbird, Toy Soldiers, and Mosh of course. All of which present a more mature and deeper side of Marshall the man. Then there's tracks such as Rainman(funny as hell), and Ass Like That, which show the side of Slim Shady. The D12 track I could have done without, as with a few others. But it's the life of Marshall Mathers, and you feel as though you are almost going through his trials and tribulations with him. Altogether this album is Marshall Mathers, the good and the bad. The bonus cd isn't too shabby either, containing two great tracks and one par track. Don't waste your money on the limited edition set unless you're like 15 years old or Stan. What the f@#$ am I going to do with pictures of em, and ringtone???

B.T.W. Don't sleep on Atmosphere

This CD is is obviously a simple change of pace for Eminem. Sure it's a little slower and less angry than his previous three. But you have to realize that when you are saying that this album sucks, you are comparing it to two of the absolute greatest rap albums OF ALL TIME! So what if he just didn't raise the bar on Encore. Nevertheless, the album has a lot more good tracks than bad tracks. In fact, the only tracks on it that aren't so hot are "Rain Man" and "Big Weenie." They sound like they are trying to hard to get a laugh. However tracks like "Like Toy Soldiers" and "Never Enough" are the typically incredible Eminem that everyone has come to know. And "Mockingbird" is very emotional but a hell of a track as well. For everyone saying that this album is bad, go suck a fatty.

I surely hope this is not Em's last CD, cause he needs to come out with something alot better to be remembered last by. This CD is good and in my opinion worth buying, but I do consider this CD to be slightly below Em's usual skill level. It seems sometimes during the CD he is just rapping about anything that comes to mind, almost like he ran out of stuff to rap about. Most of the lyrics on this CD are alright or pretty good, but a few rhymes here and there are not. Most of the beats are pretty good or decent, there are a few bland ones. I like almost all the songs on this CD. But the best ones are "Evil Deeds", "like toy soldiers", "Mosh", "Spend some time", "Mockingbird", "encore", and "Just Loose It" I wanted to put "ass like that" was one of the best, but parts of it are kind of too silly, but most of it is good, which is kind of how the rest of the CD is. This CD is definitely worth buying though and I am glad I purchased it.

There was a time when I did like Eminem. The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP were his best works. I always thought The Eminem Show was spotty and overrated and now we are here. You want to know how bad this album is? Listen to Evil Deeds, Yellow Brick Road, Rain Man, Puke, Big Weenie, One Shot 2 Shot and Spend Some Time. Just Lose It was a terrible first single that sounds like a cheap duplicate single of every first single he ever had. A** Like That is straight up garbage! Rapping like Triumph The Comic Dog through a whole song? He obviously feels that everybody will accept what he gives them because he's Eminem. Mockingbird and My 1st Single are boring. Like Toy Soldiers is a truce with Benzino and Ja rule that we all know is BS because he turned around dissed them again on the corny singalong sounding ego-soothing diss record Bully. Plus who the hell beefs with Michael Jackson? Em's beefs have hit an all-time low. Mosh is a dud just like the bonus three tracks, We As Americans, Love You More and Ricky Ticky Toc. The only track that's worth mentioning is Encore feat Dr Dre and 50 Cent. The rest of this album is straight doodoo.
Bottom Line: Encore puts the nail in Eminem's coffin and is also one of the worst rap albums of 2004. Em's lyrics are extremely predictable, the beats were drab and repetitive and the guests(with the exception of Dr Dre) helped make this album worser than it had to be. Standout: Encore.

I am a huge Eminem fan and I will admit that this is the worst of his 4 major label albums. However, just because it isn't as good as the rest doesn't mean it sucks as badly as everyone says it does. In case you didn't notice, Eminem is still a lyrical genius. The flaws on this album are some weak beats on about 3 or 4 of the songs (2 of which are Dre's, strangely enough) and some repetition of old ideas and concepts. But I still give it 4 stars because there is still so much genius on this album. Track by track...

1. Curtains Up - 3/5 - a little bit conceited, but I think being the world's most popular and best-selling rapper might entitle one to this attitude.
2. Evil Deeds - 4/5 - Awesome, adrenaline-pumping beat. I was disappointed by the first verse's empty bars, but I like this new point of view on familiar family concepts.
3. Never Enough - 5/5 - Brilliant song with 1 rhyme scheme for a 80 second verse- very difficult to accomplish without repetition... and possibly the best verse 50's normally mediocre self has ever dropped.
4. Yellow Brick Road - 5/5 - Classic storytelling, reminiscent of Nas, Rakim, and the melodies of Bone Thugs all at the same time.
5. Like Toy Soldiers - 5/5 - Perfect, honest portrayal of his beefs with people not worth mentioning. Martika never sounded good 'til now.
6. Mosh - 5/5 - Passionate protest song with a Dre beat that pounds and inspires action.
7. Puke - 4/5 - Funny as Hell. Unique song that grows on me with each listen.
8. My First Single - 5/5 - This song has gotten a bad rap from half the free world and I still don't know why. Are you all listening? Or are the flows too fast for you? He parodies himself, the Source, and Justin and Britney all at once at the end of the second verse, in case you didn't notice.
9. Paul - 3/5 - Funny.
10. Rain Man - 4/5 - Ok, this song is funny. The 2nd verse on homosexuality is hysterical with every listen. However, Dre can make better beats than this. Why did he save all his best ones from this time for the Game??
11. Big Weenie - 4/5 - Another weak beat in comparison to normal Dre standards, but the song and Em's delivery have both grown on me.
12. Em Calls Paul - 4/5 - Very funny. I love the multiple Michael Jackson references.
13. Just Lose It - 4/5 - Typical first single, but a bit sillier than usual. Another one that grows on me with each listen. I love the self-parodying stuff, though.
14. A$$ Like That - 4.5/5 - Extremely innovative song, in that he rhymes like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog for the whole song, makes me laugh, and makes great points simultaneously.
15. Spend Some Time - 4/5 - Good song, but I hate it when good Mcs have to stick to the theme of the song. Good introduction to Stat Quo, but I wanna hear what he's really about.
16. Mockingbird - 5/5 - Instant classic upon first listen. Raw and sweet at the same time. Gets me emotional every time I hear it.
17. Crazy In Love - 3.5/5 - Weakest song on the album. Creative, but I just can't get into it.
18. One Shot, Two Shot - 4/5 - The inevitable D12 posse track, entertaining but a bit short of When the Music Stops and Under the Influence.
19. Final Thought - 3.5/5 - I like the build up to the Encore
20. Encore - 5/5 - Tied with Guilty Conscience and Forgot About Dre for best Em/Dre collaboration song. This song gets me hyped up and has so much swagger. Carries on the tradition of Run DMC, Dre and Snoop Chronic-era, and 2Pac Death Row-era braggery.

Bonus Disc:
1. We As Americans - 5/5 - Loved it when it was underground and still love it now. Intense, brooding beat with a great Em flow.
2. Love You More - 3.5/5 - Nowhere close to Kim or '97 Bonnie & Clyde.
3. Ricky Ticky Toc - 3.5/5 - Just ok. If they wanted to put other unreleased songs on this disc, they should've gone with Bully and Monkey See Monkey Do.

My ratings average out to around 4.3 per song. That is not a horrible album, in my opinion. I think Em has made 2 classic albums in the Marshall Mathers LP and the Eminem Show and 2 very good hip hop albums in the Slim Shady LP and Encore. However, I think he is still to make his best album. I'm faithfully waiting for his Me Against the World/All Eyez on Me (yeah, 2Pac made 2 best albums ;) ), his Illmatic, his Blueprint, his It Takes a Nation of Millions..., his Doggystyle, etc. He will make it, though.

Shady/Aftermath all the way. Juggernauts of this rap (...). Look out for Yayo and Stat Quo this year...oh yeah, not to mention DETOX.

...or should I say never-was? Huh. Seems Feminem is going the way of Creed and "da Bizzkut". No more posing on every pre-pubescent magazine cover with that stupid-looking scowl... yup. He's done. This fad has passed. The 13-year-olds who once idolized him have moved on to something else. (It's nothing good, but it's something else.) It won't be long before this CD (along with the rest of his schlop) ends up in the 49 cent bin.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: we need the next big thing in music to happen ASAP, to officially kill this crapola DEAD, like Nirvana did with hair metal and new wave did with disco. It's gotta be on its way...

Dont buy this cd.Its very bad.Eminem is finished for sure.I think all of you that buy this cd will regret.Bad lyrics and bad beats