It's all about the title. First time around, established his alter ego, Slim Shady -- the character who deliberately shocked and offended millions, turning into a star. Second time at bat, he turned out , delving deeper into his past while revealing complexity as an artist and a personality that helped bring him an even greater audience and much, much more controversy. Third time around, it's -- a title that signals that 's public persona is front and center, for the very first time. And it is, as he spends much of the album commenting on the media circus that dominated on his life ever since the release of . This, of course, encompasses many, many familiar subjects -- his troubled childhood; his hatred of his parents; his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife, (including the notorious incident when he assaulted a guy who allegedly kissed her -- the event that led to their divorce); his love of his daughter, ; and, of course, all the controversy he generated, notably the furor over his alleged homophobia and his scolding from , which leads to furious criticism about the hypocrisy of America and its government. All this is married to a production very similar to that of its predecessor -- spare, funky, fluid, and vibrant, punctuated with a couple of along the way. So, that means is essentially a holding pattern, but it's a glorious one -- one that proves is the gold standard in music in 2002, delivering stylish, catchy, dense, funny, political music that rarely panders (apart from a power rewrite on and maybe the sex that is). Even if there is little new ground broken, the presentation is exceptional -- never sounds better as a producer than when pushes him forward (witness the stunning oddity a left-field classic with an ominous beat) and, with three albums under his belt, has proven himself to be one of the all-time classic MCs, surprising as much with his delivery as with what he says. Plus, the undercurrent of political anger -- not just attacking , but raising questions about the administration -- gives depth to his typical topics, adding a new, spirited dimension to his shock tactics as notable as the deep sentimental streak he reveals on his odes to his daughter. Perhaps the album runs a little too long at 20 songs and 80 minutes and would have flowed better if trimmed by 25 minutes, but that's a typical complaint about modern records. Fact is, it still delivers more great music than most of its peers in or , and is further proof that is an artist of considerable range and dimension. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine