I'm sure a number of people on here will concur with this. In hindsight I have come to the conclusion that Encore was closer to old Eminem than Relapse and Recovery were. 2 of the most glorious heartfelt tracks ever written were 'Mockingbird' and 'Like Toy Soldiers'. Ultimately Eminem put in more effort and was more aggressive on Recovery. But he still had more skill and a smoother flow in the pre rehab days. Encore had 3 or 4 pathetic songs that lowered the albums ratings. But he did outsell the 2 with Encore and that is never brought about. Eminem wouldn't be able to buy a shot at making a track as classy as Like Toy Soldiers.
One last thing, Eminem didn't sell out on Encore. He was killing it with 50 cent and Dr Dre. He would never care to work with pop stars back in that time period. When I think of Eminem and his chronological timeline, his first 3 albums do it for me. The 4th one will be remembered when looking back at his carrer because of the fatal Proof music video. Between Encore or Relapse or Recovery, Encore receives my vote hands down.