Grand Don't Come For Free, A [PA] - Streets (The) > Reviews > Drugs sex and gambling, great school days

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Great lyrics
Disadvantages:	Some will hate it

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

A Grand don't come for free was the second album that I purchased by The Street and having since purchased a third it is still my favourite, originally I had not really got the whole buzz and hype that surrounded The Streets and the critical acclaim that lead singer Mike Skinner attracted however once I saw them perform live I was hooked.

The Streets have a garage style of music that is as much a social commentary on the life of the twenty something city dwelling male in the current economic climate as it is about constructing dance tunes. This particular album is effectively an account of a period of Skinners life told through a succession of songs and is at its heart a love story, all be it a more basic one than Shakespeare wrote about with far more mundane issues as opposed to death and family alliances. It does however touch on the issues of friendship and whether he can in fact trust his friends after a thousand pounds goes missing from his flat.

Life for Skinner revolves around the basics of life, drink, drugs, dating and gambling most of these in the company of his mates who he parties with and also through one in particular he meets his current girlfriend.

The opening track starts with a big brass fanfare which runs throughout the track with a subtle light drum and snare beat. "It was supposed to be so easy" is an account of a single day where Skinner habitually fails to carry out a series of mundane tasks which culminate in him returning to his flat to collect a grand to pay for drugs only to find the money gone. The chorus has a great dead pan delivery where you can sense the mixture or frustration and resignation in the voice.

Track two moves on to his first date, a slow melodic track echoing the thoughts running through his head, the lyrics are a constant stream of spoken word with Will Nichols providing the vocals in the chorus. This is one of my favourite tracks and is a nice bit of story telling with a nice piano riff in the back ground to support the atmosphere of a pub location. What follows is the most annoying track for me which is similar in style to some of the material on their first album "Original Pirate Material" for me there is a cacophony of sound which gives the whole track a jumbled feel, there are a couple of changes of pace but the flow is broken up and has a disjointed feel to it.

Blinded by the Lights charts a drug induced party where Skinner is high on E and has a phased feel to the underlying beats, this compliments the video which has a hazy feel to it to replicate the drug sensation, there is a jarring interrupted beat running through the track and the vocals are evenly paced and incisive, it also provides a hint that perhaps the relationship is not going as well as he might expect. Wouldn't Have it any other way is another favourite of mine, slightly more upbeat and it has a great hook as a chorus sung by Leo Ihenacho who has a really smooth voice and good inflection to it, the song I one that shows his relationship going well ever if it is in a pot induced haze while watching TV at her place as his does not work.

Get Out of My House is a two way argument with C-Mone providing his girlfriends view point, I find her mockney Essex girl accent quite annoying and while my daughter loves this track it is the one I'm most likely to skip on the CD, the backing beat is a dirge electro sound that actually works quite well but the lyrics just grate on my brain. Fit but you know it was one of the chart hits from the album, it reminds me a bit of a Blur track and charts a lads holiday in Spain which is your typical Brits abroad getting drunk, fighting and trying to cop off. It has a terraces style up beat guitar riff and a strong constant drum rhythm as well as a chorus that is made to be chanted and is a track that always makes me smile. Such a Tw*t charts the fall out from the holiday and is written as a phone conversation between Skinner and one of his mates, it has a brass riff running through it and the lyrics are delivered rapid style and hints at further problems in the relationship.

What is he thinking is a strong track with lots of changes in tempo, a suspicious Skinner gets the wrong end of the stick suspecting that one of his friends is about to confess to stealing his money while all the time he is about to tell him that his girlfriend is cheating with another mate. It has a simple beat as the lyrics switch between the thoughts of Skinner and Wayne G.

Dry your Eyes was another chart hit from the album, a sorrowful account of Skinners desperation at the end of the relationship, it has a haunting feel as he half talks half sings the lyrics with a simple drum beat and guitar in the back ground and a subtle string arrangement cutting in for the chorus. This is a wonderfully well constructed song that provides an inventive twist and shows a maturity in the writing of Skinner. It leads into Empty Cans which brings the story to a conclusion, not the strongest track on the album and one where the singer is wallowing in pity and provides two alternative endings to the saga. A heavy drum beat and snare synth sound and a stilted delivery create a complex sound that does not quite work.

Overall I love this album and is one I still return to every now and again. I'm not much of a garage fan and to be honest I never really categorised Streets music as garage but I guess it does have an urban feel to it. The material is quite adult in nature; swearing and drug references are in evidence in a lot of the tracks.

Personally I like the social commentary nature of the lyrics and the fact that many of the arrangements have a simple feel to them even if the reality is rather different. This type of music will not be to every ones taste, it is not about smooth lyrics, some of the lines are very forced and deliberately do not scan, but the lyrics are inventive with some great one liners that make me smile. Overall this is a mature album which demonstrates the bands progression and it was great to see them perform it live at the Brixton Academy.

Currently on Play it is £11.99 new which is expensive but can be picked up for £2.99 in the new and used section which is more reasonable.

Thanks for reading and rating