"When you're a famous boy, it gets really easy to get girls." So opens the lead single from The Streets' new LP, The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living. The track itself is a refined version of 2004's "Fit, But You Know It" which in turn was an expansion of "Don't Mug Yourself" from Original Pirate Material. Normally this kind of repetition would invite sharp negative criticism, but Mike Skinner is just perfecting a style and sound around a common theme.
Hardest Way is a maturation of the style he birthed in 2001. Gone are the remnants of Skinner's early obsession with U.K. Garage dance and in their place is a mutated two-step/grime combination that manages to sound polished yet fresh at the same time. Songs like the title track and "Hotel Expressionism" contemplate the pop-star lifestyle while musically showing a development and professionalism beyond anything on his previous albums. Along with the production, Skinner's singing, which is more like speaking out notes, has improved and expanded as well. On the opening track, "Pranging Out" and "Never Went to Church," he belts out a decent chorus, much like the one from his earlier hit "Dry Your Eyes."
Skinner and Co. have moved into the much larger pond of the proper music business, and now instead of being the quirky outsiders they're at the top of a food chain. True to the title, the "business" and the stress that comes with it are the focus of much of the album. That same stress has ironically pushed Skinner forward and his confidence level has skyrocketed. This is evident on the late track "Two Nations," where he berates America's cultural anger and hostility. Skinner hasn't created his masterpiece with this album; however the maturity and strength of this latest release shows that he's probably not far from it.
