It is still a bit unclear as to whether Eminem is hanging up the mic for good, but this greatest hits album dubbed “Curtain Call” may surely indicate that he is done with full length albums. Greatest hits albums are always tricky cause every fan will complain when some of their favorite songs were left off. But that is more an argument for compilations that are intended to be ‘Best of’s’ rather than Greatest hits.
There really isn’t much to argue about on“Curtain Call”, it is made up of, quite simply, pretty much every single he has ever released. The “Slim Shady LP” is represented by “My Name Is” and “Guilty Conscience, MMLP by “Stan,”“The Real Slim Shady” and “The Way I Am.” The Grammy performance of “Stan” featuring Elton John is also included as the albums encore. Other inclusions are “Without Me,” “Cleaning Out My Closet,” “Sing for the Moment” and “Mockingbird” from “The Eminem Show,” “Just Lose It” and “Like Toy Soldiers” from “Encore” and of course “Lose Yourself” from the “8 Mile OST.” So why would anyone buy an album full of songs that they probably already have? As always, they’ve included a few tracks to sweeten the deal.
What is particularly of note here, is how incredibly representative these three songs are of Em’s career of late. “When I’m Gone” is another unbelievably well penned song to his daughter, but it also captures the state of his career at this point. While the beat is nothing to write home about, his song writing ability on display here make you wonder how anyone could say he has fallen off. That is until you hear one of the other new tracks; “FACK.” To put it nicely, the song is just all types of awful. It’s irritating and the furthest thing from funny you can imagine, hard to believe how funny this man once was. The last, “Shake That,” is a harmless little club banger featuring the always reliable Nate Dogg. Pretty much sums up “Encore” doesn’t it?
As a whole, the album is pretty dope as some of his finest songs have been singles (“Stan,” “Guilty Conscience,” “Lose Yourself” etc.). But they aren’t anything new so unless you’re just getting into Slim I would just download “When I’m Gone” and avoid “FACK” at all costs. If this is indeed the finale to Em’s career, “Curtain Call” does act as a good representation of what he was all about; cartoonish, offensive humor and captivating introspection always delivered stunning rhyme schemes and a flawless flow.
