Curtain Call 2
is one of those titles like Final Destination 2: an absurd name for a sequel but the brand has already been established, so what are you gonna do? In
Eminem
's case, he released
Curtain Call: The Hits
as part of his purported retirement in the mid-2000s. Inactivity didn't suit
Em
, so he returned in 2009 with
Relapse
, a record that kicked off a particularly prolific decade and a half.
chronicles the releases since
, featuring most -- but not all -- of his charting singles, along with a handful of album tracks, non-LP cuts, and three new numbers: "From the D 2 the LBC," which features
Snoop Dogg
; "The King and I, " a contribution to
Baz Luhrmann
's
Elvis
soundtrack featuring
CeeLo Green
; and "Is This Love ('09)," which showcases
50 Cent
. At over two and a half hours,
is generous to a fault, playing like an endless streaming playlist instead of a curated compilation, yet it does feature many highlights from
's mid-career records, including "Crack a Bottle," "Not Afraid," "Love the Way You Lie," "Berzerk," "The Monster," "Lucky You," and "Godzilla." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine