Marshall Mathers AKA Eminem AKA Slim Shady’s newest release, The Marshall Mathers LP, is one of the best pop releases of the year thus far. Yet the lyrical content is not for the faint of heart — actually, at some points the lyrical content isn’t suitable for anyone. In Track Two, "Kill You," Eminem raps about all the things he’s blamed for as a result of his songs and makes fun of the backlash that occurred when he mentioned raping his own mom on his debut release, The Slim Shady LP. But that is not to say that the newest CD is all fun and games — on this disc, as with the previous, Eminem tackles some very serious matters in a shocking but undeniably truthful manner. In the song "Stan," he tells of a crazed fan who thought the words Slim Shady spoke were real life and, as a result, committed a terrible act of violence. Track sixteen, "Kim," (the prequel to Slim Shady’s "97 Bonnie and Clyde") is a shout-rapped story of chillingly brutal case of domestic violence that ends in the death of his now aforementioned real-life wife and mother of his daughter, Hailey, whom he also makes reference to in both songs.

Tracks like "Who Knew," "The Way I Am," and "Marshall Mathers" are a chance for Eminem to throw back in your face all the violence that he is blamed for. With lines like, "I never knew I’d affect this kid, I never knew I’d get him to slit his wrists, I never knew I’d get him to hit this bitch," he points out how much damage can be done by the pen. There is no doubt that Eminem has a profound understanding of the power that he yields with his rap and does so with a sense of business-like calculation — but unfortunately, many people may be unable to get past the violence and profanity to appreciate the talent represented on this CD. Eminem manages to offend you in the first 10 seconds of the CD and it gets worse from there.

Musically, The Marshall Mathers LP is full of talent, but the lyrical content is unquestionably troublesome — and buying the censored version won’t help. But if you can get past all that, this is definitely a CD worth checking out. (Interscope)

With the explosion of the rap/metal hybrid, numerous bands have been struggling to push their own particular genre blends to the forefront. Infest is the first major label release from Northern California rockers Papa Roach, and they definitely feel that they need to be heard.

Covering broad but familiar ground, the songs on this disc confront issues like divorce ("Broken Home"), suicide ("Last Resort"), alcoholism ("Binge"), and spousal abuse ("Revenge"). Although the themes are somewhat oversimplified, and the lyrics are far from revolutionary, not one song on this album involves vapid chattering about ‘nookie’. For that reason alone, I liked this CD immediately.

The band traditionally starts their live shows with the song "Infest," which also opens this disc as the title track. Known primarily for their furiously energetic performances, the studio recordings on this album drive hard, but only occasionally touch what this band is really capable of musically. Despite its shortcomings, though, the CD definitely contains a few notable highlights, and makes a strong case for Papa Roach’s skills and deserved reputation as a kick-ass band. One track that stands out is "Between Angels and Insects," a song inspired by Hindu theology that rants against excessive attachment to physical possessions.

Overall, Infest displays a commendable degree of creative thought, and distinguishes Papa Roach from the majority of their peers. It may not be a perfect album, but it definitely deserves to be listened to on a very loud stereo. (Dreamworks)