Guess whose back...back again...shady's back...your ears will bend. Can Eminem top the success of his last album? Read and find out.

To me, Marshall Mathers aka Slim Shady aka Eminem has always been a fascinating figure to watch in the world of music. When he first burst onto the scene three years ago, music was getting stale and no one seemed to be pissed off about rock or rap anymore. That all changed with his first CD, "The Slim Shady LP", which garnered him a Grammy, and then of course last year's multiple Grammy nominated "The Marshall Mathers LP" REALLY raised the ire of a lot of people. Almost overnight, he breathed life into a genre that was content to rap about fast cars and jewlery. Whether or not Eminem really means even half the stuff he sings about is a moot point in my mind - he saw a gap in the music industry and did what he had to do to come in and fill it. And 8 million records later, I'd say he was a success. So now we have "The Eminem Show", his third full length album, which has - like his other two albums - been produced by rap mastermind Dr. Dre. The album itself seems to be all over the board in terms of quality - it is much more grounded than the other two, more realistic and based on what appears to be a rather shitty life he has led. But for every deep and thought provoking song that makes you go "Hmm..." for what he says, there is another throw away track of the taunting of other rappers and mindless little skits that hurt the albums' overall flow. In a lot of ways, this diametric formula is both the album's strength and it's weakness. Eminem seems torn between the world of music-with-a-message first pioneered by Public Enemy and the flashy drug-money-hoes world of rappers like Snoop Dogg or Jay-Z.

"The Eminem Show" will undoubtedly be blasted yet again by critics, as Mathers seems to leave no one untouched. Besides his usual (and quite frankly tired) digs against his mother and his ex-wife, Eminem makes sure to slip in some down right nasty comments about George Bush, Tipper Gore, "white America", Moby, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, the whole anthrax scare and of course gays. And though many tracks may make people really uncomfortable and angry, it seems as if Mathers knows this and is intentionally trying to bring on the protesters by touching on anything that might be a sore subject. That's not to say that some of the digs don't seem to have merit - on "Square Dance", he launches into a diatribe against the military and Bush as he complains about the draft and fighting useless wars. Hardly what you would expect from a guy who comes on stage at shows wielding a chainsaw, but the comments have quite a bit of truth to them. Mathers seems to save his worst remarks for a group he calls "white America" - parents, teachers, congressmen, etc, or just about anyone who claims that he is corrupting the youth of this country. The first track following the opening skit, which is of course called "White America" has a biting chorus that is catchy and a little frightening if you are someone who is against what Eminem says: "White America/I could be one of your kids/White America/Eric looks just like this/White America/Erica loves my shit/I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get", and the verses are more of the same taunting against those who are against what he says and his right to say it. And Eminem was smart about doing this sort of shot firing - the album will almost certainly be a huge commercial success and is bound to get into the ears of those who are against him one way or another. That of course means controversy, which in turn means MORE albums will be sold. Other tracks aren't directed at one group or person in particular really, but do offer some more of the same style of angry threats - dissing rap as being tired, threatening to put anthrax on (what else?) a woman's Tampax, etc.

What hurts Eminem's message and what he is trying to say though, is the juvenile and recycled theme of many of the albums' other songs. He dedicates no less than 3 of the album's actual songs to his daughter, singing her praises and even sampling her voice in "My Dad's Gone Crazy". While it's cute and funny the first time, by the end of the album you already know that you'll be skipping over those tracks the next listen through. Other mediocre tracks are the R&B sounding "Superman", the almost un-understandable "Say What You Say" and "Drips". All these songs sound out of place against other notable and memorable tracks on the album, and even the five skits that are included are pretty much skipable. The skit in rap is a mixed bag. Some are funny or blend well with an album's flow, others seem to be distractions. On "The Eminem Show", the latter is the case, although "The Kiss" is rather frightening as we are taken moment by moment through the incident that landed Eminem on probation for beating a guy with a handgun when he saw his wife kissing him. What's left on the album after all the clutter has been pushed away though, is some truly excellent rap songs, ones that will stick with you for a lot longer than their initial shock factor. The incredibly catchy and danceable "Without Me", the album's first single, is just one of quite a few highlights that make sitting through the other waste tracks tolerable. Other ones to pay attention to are "Business", "Cleaning Out My Closet" and "Till I Collapse", plus the afore mentioned "White America".

What it all boils down to of course, is that you either like Eminem or you don't. If you are like me and find him a breath of unpredictable, if a little homicidal, air in the music world, something to make you be interested in music again, then I think you will probably enjoy "The Eminem Show". If you can't stand him, well, nothing's changed and you still won't like him. He seems to be maturing somewhat as an artist, as this album has a distinct rock flavor to it (He even samples rock greats Aerosmith on "Sing for the Moment"), but the digs on the conservative and flag waving citizens of this country are unlikely to bring him many new fans, no matter how "mature" his sound is. If you are somewhere in the middle, someone who enjoys his singles, then I recommend snagging mp3s of the better songs mentioned above (Eminem's label tried as hard as they could to keep the album from being leaked online, but given that I had it almost a month before it's release, I think it's time to go back to whatever drawing board they had). Just as controversial as ever, it's time to start wondering if Eminem is a flash in the pan, something to fill a void, or if he continue this sort of schtick for a while. Regardless, I'm sure you will be hearing a LOT of him in the coming months, you can bet on that.