Rolling Stone (7/11/02, pp.107-8)
- 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..."Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.106)
- Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002" Rolling Stone (p.173)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "[I]t showcases a phenomenally gifted musician and lyricist doing all the things he does best." Rolling Stone (p.142)
- Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - "Marshall Mathers brings the pain in ENCORE." Spin (1/03, p.70)
- 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." Spin (pp.95-6)
- "Captivated by hip-hop, Marshall crosses tracks both literal and metaphorical..." - Grade: B Spin (p.64)
- Ranked #26 in Spin's "40 Best Albums of the Year" - "[H]e will remain America's finest reality show: crass, oddly tender, riveting." Entertainment Weekly (6/7/02, pp.73-4)
- "...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 Q (12/02, p.66)
- Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 2002" Uncut (1/03, p.95)
- Ranked #19 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year" Uncut (8/02, p.118)
- 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." Uncut (p.116)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "ENCORE defeats expectations by both embracing...maturity, and being his most adolescently outrageous, gut-bustingly funny effort since THE SLIM SHADY LP." CMJ (6/24/02, p.4)
- "...Jam-packed with the same vitriol that made Eminem a household name to begin with..." Vibe (8/02, pp.155-6)
- 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..." Mojo (Publisher)
(p.96)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "[I]t's a lean, mean beast....There's precious little accompanying Mater's virtuoso, syllable-crammed raps." NME (Magazine)
(6/1/02, p.36)
- 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." RapReviews.com 7 of 10
"Encore" does prove one thing: that even half-trying, Eminem is still better than most of the rapper - James Corne
Rolling Stone 8 of 10
Encore isn't as astonishing as The Marshall Mathers LP. Few albums by anyone ever will - Robert Christgau
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