----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sam Smith" <sam@lullabypit.com>
> 13: The Streets &#8211; The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living: I 
> don't
> know enough about hip-hop to comment intelligently, but this is 
> unusual
> in its intelligence. Frankly, there's too much damned critical 
> fawning
> over rap artists who aren't smart enough to craft a coherent 
> thought, so
> I'm always appreciative when I trip across a hip-hopper with 
> something
> useful to say.

If you haven't heard them already, you really must check out the two 
previous Streets albums, ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL and A GRAND DON'T 
COME FOR FREE.  Suffice to say, this album is jostling with Calexico's 
GARDEN RUIN for the less than coveted top slot on my "biggest 
disappointments" list: musically, it's fine, but lyrically, it's not a 
patch on the earlier albums.  Skinner's original persona was obviously 
a contrust, but that persona was definitely a lot more interesting 
than his lyrics here, which are nothing more than yet another 
iteration of "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!  Being rich and famous and 
successful is SOOOOOOOOOOO stressful and annoying!"  Did the world 
really need grime's answer to RUNNING ON EMPTY?

S