Disco de The Streets: “The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living”

The reason I like the Streets is because I don't like rap. I'm a total crossover fan, but I am a fan. And what I liked about his last two releases is that they sounded so bizarre, that it wasn't even like rap. As one friend described it "a British guy talking over a drum beat," which is kind of true, but gosh the things he said were just so great.

Being an isolated American, the most entertaining portrait I've ever seen of the underbelly of British culture is from two of my favorite movies, Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. And what's great about those movies is the extremely witty dialogue and the constant tongue in cheekery that goes on. Same goes for Mike Skinner's first two cds. I love hearing an honest everyman's point of view on such subjects as: dating, cell-phones, "mugging yourself," smoking weed and playing playstation, yukking it up with buddies, etc. And I like that gritty garage 2-step, do-it-yourself beats that he comes in with that sound just so freaking weird and unconventional that at first you can't believe its music.

And...

now...

Mike SKinner

is freaking huge.

His songs are all about being rich and famous, and not in an illuminating or surprising way. It's not about an everyman anymore, its like an MTV special, inside a celebrity's life.

And the beats are smooth, with impeccable singing(I really, really enjoyed hearing Mike Skinner struggle to stay on key while singing about "this thing he saw on his tv the other week") and HOOKS HOOKS HOOKS. Elements for a real great pop song.

It's easy to listen to a dude just like me complain about how things are. When his "Mike" character up and lost a thousand quid, I felt that annoyance and paranoia and pissed off at everything stuff. But when Mike Skinner, "UK's biggest living celebrity" complains about not being able to hold on to fifty grand, I'm not listening unless you've got something else interesting to say about it.

But still, I am a fan of Mike Skinner. Everything he does, I like. I like the sound of his voice, and he is way better than any other hip hop or rap or whatever act I can think of. It's nice to hear about something other than blingbling and street credz. I really like the song about the con with the dog, even though it seems really out of place (why is a millionaire going around grifting bar keeps out of four hundred pounds?)

And I like when Skinny gets personal and honest("Never Went to Church"). And I love when he turns a phrase (see: any British colloquialism I'm not familiar with.) And I'm pretty pumped about when he talks about everyday stuff from an artful dodger's perspective ("War of the Sexes.") But there just isn't enough of that stuff in this album. It seems like a concept album, like the last one was. A Grand Don't Come to Free tells a nice story, and is resolved in a surprising and satisfying way.

But this CD is all about how glum it is to be on top of the world. And I feel it. I feel it through the whole thing and then by the end, I am still feeling it but I don't know what to do with that feeling. And it's not a good feeling.

4 stars compared to all music

2.5 compared to previous Streets releases: Original Pirate Material and A Grand Don't Come For Free

Mike Skinner has gotten lazy, seems like he didn't try hard enough on this album. There are some good beats but others are just average and can be bit boring. There are a few tracks which I end up skipping, not a good sign.

Original Pirate Material is a classic, it is definitely in my top albums and with time it will be regarded as an essential recording from the first decade of the 21st century. A Grand was an awesome album too, hooking you on the story told by each track leading to the next, as if it was a movie or book.

The Hardest Way To Make an Easy Living is weak when compared to previous albums. The pianos, strings and orchestration backed by garage beats, like tracks "Turn the Page" or "Weak Become Heroes" are nowhere to be found on this new album. There are no songs here that come close to the greatness of earlier releases.

It is almost as if Mike found an easy formula to create a few loops without creating anything as powerful as in Original Pirate or A Grand.

The main theme of this new album turns out to be a cliche everyone is tired of rock stars complaining about it: it's hard being famous.

As a positive note for this album Mike Skinner talks about this cliche in his usual straight-up-no-BS-just-like-it-is style. His lyrics always contain the right details to explain a particular situation. This turns out to be insightful and humorous, it is a highlight of the album, it is what Skinner does best.

On "Prangin' Out" Mike opens the album talking about drug induced paranoia and panic in a chilling way. "War of the Sexes" is a good example of how this album fails, great lyrics but just average beats. The single "When You Wasn't Famous" is maybe the best song on the album, followed by "Prangin' Out" and "Hotel Expressionism".

I was very optimistic to hear this album, maybe my expectations were too high and I turned out to be dissapointed by The Hardest Way To Make an Easy Living. There are enough good things on this album to make it worth your time therefore making it an enjoyable record but subpar when compared to aforementioned releases.

I hope Mike comes back with a mind blowing fourth album, I will hang in there and wait for it.

Cheers,

J

The Hardest Way to make an Easy Living is the third album from The Streets. The Streets is Mike Skinner; one of the best rappers out there today. I only use the word 'rapper' because 'hip hopper' is more of what he is, but that doesnt sound as good. Either way you slice it hes among the best but you've probably never heard of him. And now that may be because hes from the UK, but its more to do with the fact that the rap and hip hop scenes are dominated by names like 50 Cent or Chingy (coincidentally the sound 50 cents makes in ones pocket). Rappers who-while not exclusively-rap about bitches, hoes, guns, getting shot, ice, rims etc. etc. The Streets first album Original Pirate Material was a breath of fresh air to those weary of such things. A fusion of different sounds with savvy witty and truthful lyrics, ranging from drug us to political topics about...drug use. Its beats were good but...a bit home-brewed. There was a roughness to them, which was good because it suited the style of the album. The sound was a good mixture of electronica and hip hop.

His second album A Grand Dont Come For Free was an engaging narrative through the span of 24 hours which include songs ranging from inter-personal relationships, trust, drug use and repetitive living, its a major step up in terms of production value. While some praised Mike for hisn 'raw' sound on Pirate Material, it was a major gripe with some that it wasnt consistent. A Grand had much more focus, it showed an evolution from the lyrics and lyric structure we had heard before. I consider it his best album to date.

The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living is his newest album and shows a fusion of the first two albums. Its funnier and more fanciful than A Grand while retaining a crispness of sound Pirate Material lacked. Theres an emphasis on hooks and thats not a bad thing because the whole of the songs are excellent and not RELIANT on the hooks. While some deride Mike for going the way of Eminem and having his third album be about life after success, what is there to do? Hes found success and for the most its kept him in the same place to write the same type of lyrics and songs. But it allows him to pull back and show his view of the industry hes now a bigger part of. Its also allowed him to compare where he was and where he is, so while hes still more or less the same man from Original Pirate Material hes now a man who can reflect on losing and finding A Grand, and talk about dating celebrities. A solid work, hes over the sophomore slump and staying strong.

It seems the general opinion on this page seems to place "The Hardest Way..." at their second best spot as far as The Streets albums go. I am going to have to disagree with this opinion. I originally was brought into the world of the streets with "Original Pirate Material" and loved the simple beats, good flow, and the mixture of funny songs, serious songs, and sad songs all together on one album.

I will admit when I first bought "A Grand Don't Come for Free" I was a little turned off by the slightly different styling. It had appeared that Skinner had decided just to talk semi-animatedly over the garage beats. But that album really is a classic once you listen to it and let the words, and beats get into you. This album to me turned from one I was sorry I bought in the first 2 days, to my favorite of all of the albums.

It is with regret that I must say this new album disapointed me completely. I have had it for a week and though the songs can be catchy and interesting, I feel it has lost the flair of the past albums. I saw a review that said it was glad to see this album after the second one which had strayed into another mainstream sound. I could not disagree more. I feel that this album is the one to stray into the mainstream. The beats are not as original or catchy, the songs not as funny or captivating. Besides his use of notoriously bad rhyming, which really helps the unique sound to most people and has stayed constant through all the records, it does not seem like the same old Mike to me.

I still like the cd. I'm not saying it is a complete waste of money, but I feel it is more for those who like the average typical rap sound. As someone who doesn't so much, I still enjoy the album because I love The Streets dearly. Give it a try yourself though. It seems I am the only person to rank this at the bottom of the list for the three albums, but I think most of the longtime fans will find that this record has strayed from the raw roots and unique style into a more mainstream sound.

It's the third chapter for Mike Skinner, the biggest pop star from the UK. Almost every album has been a number one if I remember right. The last album was a concept album. This album is more about the spoils of success. It's less unfocused than the previous two. "War of The Sexes" reminds me of some of the songs on the first album. Some immediate favorites are "When You Wasn't Famous" and "Hotel Expressionism." The first is about the pitfalls of become a well known act. The second is about? Not sure. Maybe about destroying hotels? "Never Went To Church" explores to two great European narcotics: alcohol and Christianity. It has a tune that is like "Let It Be" by the Beatles. We always need a record to put on and smoke weed to. Here it is! The summer looks good.