Everything Is Borrowed

Perhaps Mr. Skinner needs a sabbatical. Six years ago an artist weaned on a steady diet of Ms. Dynamite and the Artful Dodger released Original Pirate Material, a refreshing and honest gathering of songs. The Streets' latest, Everything is Borrowed, finds Skinner breaking it off with the first-person, packing up his stuff and looking outwards to the world we live in. While the album has its fair share of pretty ditties ("On The Edge of a Cliff") and classics ("Everything is Borrowed"), it seems that Mike Skinner is simply playing the role of Mike Skinner. Everything is Borrowed is devoid of high concepts or lowbrow humour, and is neither groundbreaking nor trailblazing. Since Skinner has shown us what he is capable of, the listener is left with the brides mate, not the bride. We only hope that if Mike does decide to take a breather, he'll turn that experience into a brilliant set of songs.