Witty or immature? Commentary or comedy? Four albums in, Eminem [ tickets ] is better than ever--or grosser than ever, depending on how you feel about poop jokes.

Regardless of where you stand, "Encore," released four days early because it was leaked on the Internet, features 16 undeniable tracks of Eminem�s trademark nasal speed-rap and wordplay over some of Dr. Dre�s most sumptuous beats.

The album sees Eminem�s return to the silly rhymes and third-grade bravado that made him an instant star on 1999's "The Slim Shady LP." Likewise, Eminem�s well-documented familial struggles continue on "Encore." But, as he did with 2002's "The Eminem Show," the Detroit rapper also proves that he is still very much aware of his impact on pop culture and its impact on him--and that he is as capable a writer as any other mic-gripper.

Two songs, "Like Toy Soldiers" and "Mosh," are Eminem�s most political think-pieces yet. Both are more rap than hip-hop, as Eminem rhymes over vulnerable, haunting music as he rails against the Bush administration. "Yellow Brick Road" takes the listener through Em�s younger days and addresses last year�s controversial revelation that the rapper used the N-word on an early demo tape. "I heard people say they heard the tape and it ain�t that bad/But it was/I singled out a whole race and for that I apologize/I was wrong." Then there�s "Big Weenie" and "Puke," two of the artist�s most juvenile diatribes. "It doesn�t take a bunch of takes for me to stand here in this poop all day for me to say the truth, okay?"

Indeed, there�s a fine line between stupid and clever. How you see it will determine how you hear "Encore."