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After the bombast of The Marshall Mathers LP and Eminem's well-noted use of sexual epithets, this kind of material is made more controversial because it actually rings true. From a brutal retort to his long estranged and equally troubled mother ("Cleaning Out My Closets") to a surprisingly tender ode to his child ("Hailie's Song"), Eminem examines his life, loves, arrests, addictions, failures and successes with surprising insight, making this a funk-drenched hip-hop confessional well worth the hype. (Note: this limited edition version includes a DVD that features concert and interview footage.) --Amy Linden