Eminem
Curtains Call

After releasing four albums, with effort and great dignity, the good old Marshall Bruce Mathers III, mainly known as "Eminem", created his first official collection in 2005. For someone who truly dislikes various best of or greatest hits albums, this one didn’t completely disappoint me except that, like most other collections, it has many flaws, such as including the songs that sold the most while neglecting some older gems that deserve much more attention. For example, instead of "Sing For The Moment", where the rapper sings over the instrumental base of the hit "Dream On" by the rock band Aerosmith, I would have included "Till I Collapse" or "White America", but anyone can agree with me or disagree with my opinion. Hits indeed have this flaw, which is that they don't please everyone: 50% remain unsatisfied.

Now let's analyze the various songs contained in the album: After a cute thirty-second introduction, "Fack" booms through the speakers: Eminem's voice bursts with anger, the beat is relentless, the lyrics are very vulgar but rapped brilliantly, with Eminem in perfect form. It's excellent when in each verse he alternates moments of outburst with moments of entertainment (just think of the chorus, if sung in Italian it would almost make you laugh). Next is "The Way I Am", with a simple base accompanied by a hypnotic bass and piano loop along with the sounds of a menacing bell; the lyrics speak of Eminem himself, his relationship with fans, and accusations of violence, racism, and news events. The video of the song is particularly good, and it's great live (once it was performed with Marilyn Manson, for those who didn't know). Then it’s the turn of "My Name Is", one of the artist’s most well-known anthems and the first successful single of his career: a song with very amusing, almost nonsensical lyrics, where Eminem multiples into many characters: the video of this song is absolutely funny as well. "Stan" is a highly successful piece sung with singer Dido, who sings the same chorus of "Thank You", one of her old hits, while in the verses it's Eminem's task to fill the spaces with his lyrics, which appear as a kind of letter written by a big fan of the singer. "Lose Yourself" is the essence of Eminem: hip hop perfected, with great lyrics, a fantastic base that doesn’t bore even though it repeats throughout the song, one of his best successes that also won the Oscar for his film “8 Mile”: one of his iconic songs. Suddenly an unheard hit comes: "Shake That", a good song even if not a 10; despite everything, the participation of Nate Dogg (rest in peace) is felt excellently, even though the lyrics are not among Marshall's best.

The overwhelming rhythm of "Without Me" gets into your ears and makes you go wild like never before, it's one of the most loved songs both by critics and fans, with a great chorus and an excellent (as always) performance. "Like Toy Soldier" is one of the artist’s most committed songs, both in lyrics and in the beautiful base. The album continues with another great anthem: "The Real Slim Shady" is what brought the artist his nickname Slim Shady, and the chorus is one of the most famous and sung. In the lyrics, he talks about various topics but mainly mentions various artists from music and cinema, including Dr. Dre, Britney Spears, Will Smith, and Moby, heavily criticizing "his way of making music." Afterwards, we see a much sweeter Eminem with "Mockingbird", which, together with the new single from the album "When I'm Gone", is a more intimate text, namely the difficult relationship he has with his daughter (to whom he has also dedicated a song bearing her name in the album "The Eminem Show"). The first is almost a very deep lullaby, while the second, much more melancholic and angry, lays bare the events that occurred between his ex-wife Kim and the daughter herself. "Guilty Conscience" is one of the most interesting pieces and, I would add, original in the hip hop field. It’s a challenge between two consciences, namely the angel and the devil, played respectively by Dr. Dre and Eminem, of three young protagonists of their episodes in daily life (a robbery, a rape, and an affair of a cheating wife). The face-to-face sung by the two rappers, great professionals who almost make a theatrical play, is very beautiful. "Cleaning Out My Closet" is another very intimate song of Eminem, with a not exceptional base but very clear lyrics that refer to the singer's past, intending to erase all the evil experienced. And here comes the turn of "Just Lose It", with an intro similar to "Without Me" but much slower. It’s a song with an entirely similar base but very catchy, and it mocks Michael Jackson for his pedophilia accusations, and then talks about himself and his "bad days". Despite the song having some minor controversies, it was a success and is one of the most famous works of the artist in recent years.

Finally, we have a live track sung with Elton John, who also plays the piano: it's a beautiful rearranged version of the famous "Stan". Ultimately, apart from a few small exceptions, this hit surprised me and allowed me to delve further into the career of this rapper, even though in recent years he no longer convinces me as he did in the past.