The Streets: The Hardest Way to Make a Living

On this, The Streets third album, Mike Skinner gives us a blend between the sophomore genius of A Grand Don't Come For Free and the frosh Original Pirate Music: A very loose story line and yet a varied musical sound.

The british rapper/hip-hopper sound is strangely enjoyable. Skinner's lyrics are simple, yet emotive while the music and beats he's laid underneath it perfectly accentuates the thoughts and feelings he's trying to convey.

The album comes out of the gate sluggish with the good-but-not-great Pranging Out, but it turns around quickly on the fun and witty War of the Sexes, where you learn that "cigarette lighters were invented before matches" is a great piece of small talk with a woman.

Skinner's life view on Momento Mori (Latin: "Remember that you are mortal.") gives us something to tap to while taking us through a quick trip of his materialistic mind.

While When You Wasn't Famous is the first single off the album (and is worth it), the best lyric on the album comes from the melancholy sounding Never Went to Church, about Skinner's dad, with:
"Two great European narcotics:
Alchol and Christianity.
I know which one I prefer."

Admit it: that's a great lyric.

In the end: This latest offering from the Streets definitely is lyrically strong and musically well-built, but the disc lacks the cohesive feeling of A Grand Don't Come For Free, which was the perfect vehicle for Skinner's spoken sing/rap. Pick up Grand first, then you'll enjoy this album.

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