This album has tracks so amazingly good, but as is the achilles heel of Eminem, his albums are bogged down by half songs and skits which do very little for his album. But if you're looking to get into Eminem you'd better get used to it, Eminem is not ever going to released a 10 track album, it will always an overblown album, with a deluxe edition waiting for the encore.

Sing for the moment + Superman combo though, insures you'll never be unsatisfied with this album.

The Hidden gem within Eminem's discography, this is the album fans love and casual listeners can't stand.

As is with any album that is 23 tracks long, its easy to lose interest, so here are what I would say are the tracks in order worth skipping to if you're looking to grasp Encore;

Rain Man
Ass Like That
Mosh
Mockingbird
Encore/Curtains Down
Just Lose It
Toy Little Soldiers
Evil Deeds
Puke.

This is the closest to a fully fledged and developed album you'll find from Em, so if you're looking for where to start this is the place.

The culmination of all that is Eminem,

Naturally as is with all Greatest Hits Compilation-y albums, the tracklisting is completely fucked. I mean the second track is "FACK" which is no doubt the most polarizing track under his discography, and wow that is saying a lot in the world of eminem. So while this is the closest concentration of Eminem's greatest hits, it will still be a jarring ride from the get-go.

Update:
All that was*

While it has a slow start, man this album serves as the most visceral and honest of the slim shady persona. This is also Slim Shady at his sexiest, as disturbing as that sounds. He has always played with singing in his songs, to disastrous outcomes, But "Hello" sits perfectly on the equilibrium.

I'd call this the most melodic we've seen shady and a great chapter to add onto the slim shady character.
I don't like to do this but with Em its a must with his overblown records, so here is ... read more

It's a disappointment to its name, there's no escaping that.

A few years removed now, I can look at this thing a little more objectively. "Nobody Can Save Me" should have been the lead/title single. I vaguely remember an interview where Mike Shinoda said they didn't make this the lead single so that it could be the first track on the album, I get that, quite a lot, I hate a lead single starting an album off, like fuck I heard this song already, skip and the whole album experience is off to a terrible start. BUT when you're releasing a ... read more

Yes, its catchy, but wow those words are empty.

The instrumentation here is a mix of Justin Biebers "Sorry" vocal loop and a Chainsmokers-y guitar loop. And that chorus sure is something,

Why did I bother to listen to this song? No clue, I hope you dont make the same mistake as me.
Any trace of Lady Gaga's artistry has been sold out, for what will no doubt be a terrible album with huge first week sales.

This is a commercial product, not art at all. There isn't much point in ... read more

Sigh, the little improvement Love brought to Lana Del Rey's sound is all but extinguished with this single.

A songwriter, no! A poet needs to write her music for her at this point, she has created this perfect persona, which fits her voice and personality in the right way, but lyrically her last few releases have really been lacking lyrically, young and beautiful being a key example of how she flourishes when working with the correct themes and writers.

The weeknd adds nothing, except a ... read more

"Having it been done at the same time(as KID A) it sort of fills in the blanks" and that's after naming the album amnesiac. amnesiac is the jiggsaw falling into place, the story of a Kid A all grown up and the little destruction's of that soundscape all grown up.

So yeah!, while this album is an afterthought of KID A, it is still undeniably beautiful.

There are broken songs here, which seem to function as interludes. However it is impossible to avoid this album as important because ... read more

With this album you have to rate it as though you were an alien, completely unaware of human thoughts and bias towards this album.
Preferably, an angry alien.

A terrible collection of their so called hits.

Showing a clear misunderstanding by the band between which songs were popular and which songs were beloved by their fans.

40 - A disappointing release, shot at the night was a nice little surprise at the end of it all, but the second half of the album is more a slap in the face for fans, placing those songs alongside songs such as Mr Brightside.

A vital addition to the legacy of DOOM.

An enormous step forward for John Mayer, but still eons away from being the album critics and fans a like have been waiting for.

His guitar flourishes remain beautiful, but the substance of his albums still remain fairly shallow.

65 - A surprisingly good release, and a return to form for John Mayer, perhaps all that is missing now, is something to write about, and perhaps that's the entire reason this album is entitled, The Search for Everything.

A great showing of intent, this album places Yellow Days on the lookout list, there will be much more coming from this man and it will be greatly welcomed if anything like this showing here.

little hidden gem. Pablo Nutini meets King Krule here to create Yellow Days

As far as Korean R&B artists go, DEAN is definitely a front runner,
Vocals that establish emotion without a listener necessary needing to understand what is being said.
Is a feat of its own in R&B, and its all integrated and stitched within his unique style and delivery.

Lyrically its fascinating though and a real talking point, due to the difference in language, DEAN is able to sing about complex moods in a manner that is not possible with the english language, within the english ... read more

This album has not held true, while many more listens may lead to a greater understanding of the album as is always the case with Actress, the soundscape being used by Actress here is one I cannot seem to live with;

40 - A disappointing release, while there are some highlights here, as a whole this album felt like a chore more than any level of enjoyment and wonder usually felt by an Actress release.

GANG RELATED, what a track, what a cadence, the rest of the album isn't bad either,
above the usual swarm of hip-hop releases, an interesting listen,

And he's a clear student of hip-hop,
since Buried Alive, Bounce, Gang Related all have verses which hit over 8 syllables per second.

A sleepy return for Mount Kimbie, relying on how beautiful this album is, there is a lack of meaning here, just a celebration of beautiful music, well strung together and stunningly executed.

Original Score: 80
Looking back at this album, it feels incredibly dated.

But when this thing came out it was a historical moment, and as such it should have a score that follows that thought pattern the songs were good, for that year, for that moment in time.

A very timely album, which changed the hip-hop landscape but as such it serves as the lowest point in that, new epoch of hip-hop music.

Favourites: Murder to Excellence, Who Gon Stop Me, Gotta Have It, New Day