The Streets - Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
www.vicerecordings.com

Every once in a while, an artist who gains relevance, be it in hip-hop, metal, etc., will fade out, or just simply lose said relevance.

Mike Skinner (aka The Streets) is not one of those artists. Hailing from Brixton (UK) and bringing nothing but a stellar third proper release. While Skinners sense of humor, and off beat lyrical style may not be the most popular outside of the hipster community that hangs on every beat and word, there is more than a sense of intellect and honesty that comes from him.

From the first song "Pranging Out" and Skinner just explaining that getting wasted at an early hour and that touring and life after tour is more than just the glamourous life people think it is, he has you hooked. The next track, "War of the Sexes" takes a look at the interaction between men and women, and the tale is spun in his own unique sense of humor all the way through.

The most impressive thing about this record, is that most of the tracks, beat-wise sound like that they could be huge American club hits. While not exactly most peoples cup of tea here in the States, Skinner prevails by bringing out more than just some silly accent to the overly competitive hip-hop game. Skinner brings out all the things that make a great record, with his unique rhyming style, his garage-meets hip-hop beats, some occasional UK punk riffing (think the Clash, Sex Pistols), humor, and ability to tell a story without boring you at all. Like all of his other records, this is just one huge story, and this time he lets us know what life is really like, with the pressure, and the fun of being one of the most looked at artists to come out of the UK in a long time.

9/10