Off the streets and into your ears

Few artists are as endearingly honest as British rapper Mike Skinner, a.k.a., the Streets. Skinner has made a career with his simple and catchy beats to complement his conversational sing-song delivery style, rapping about his relationships, life on the streets and dealing with life as a celebrity.

Everything is Borrowed, the fourth of the five albums Skinner plans on releasing under the Streets moniker, is his most positive and enlightening, which is a pleasant surprise after the uneven The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living.

The title track sets the tone for the album with a chorus that sums up album’s main thought: “I came to this world with nothing / I leave with nothing but love / Everything else is just borrowed.” The album takes on bigger issues like mortality (“On the Edge of a Cliff”), morality (“Heaven for the Weather”), and the environment (“The Way of the Dodo”), with mixed results.  

“Heaven for the Weather” is a bouncy sing-along where Skinner displays his clever thoughts on morality. On the other side, though, “Alleged Legends” finds Skinner taking on Western religion with the sitar and some truly awkward lyrics.

On Everything is Borrowed, Skinner has traded in his heavier club beats for a more classic and organic musical backdrop. This record features lots of piano, guitar, brass and strings.

Skinner’s trade pays off when he takes a page from classic ’70s soul in “On the Edge of a Cliff,” as well in the wonderful closer “The Escapist.”

Everything is Borrowed is Skinner’s first release on his own label, 679, resulting in a production style that sounds unfinished and under-produced at times. But at the same time, it makes gives the album an endearing charm.

This isn’t music from some untouchable rock legend, but from an ordinary guy who is doing his best to showcase his thoughts and emotions.

All the raw production, off-key singing and sometimes awkward rhymes simply exemplify that persona. And for once, it’s nice to hear that ordinary guy at peace.