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A Grand Don't Come for Free | 
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| Artist: The Streets
Label: Vice/Atlantic
Category: Music
List Price: $12.98
Buy Used: $0.72
You Save: $12.26 (94%)
New (31) Used (45) from $0.72
Rating:  157 reviews
Sales Rank: 11386
Format: Explicit Lyrics
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 61534
UPC: 825646153428
EAN: 0825646153428
ASIN: B0001XARU4
Release Date: May 18, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: ***SHIPS SAME DAY ***FOR 3-5 DAYS ARRIVAL ORDER IT VIA EXPEDITED ****STANDARD SHIPPING MIGHT TAKE UP TO 3 WEEKS FOR ARRIVAL ***PLEASE NOTE THIS CD DON'T HAVE FRONT ARTWORK AND THERE IS NO ART PICTURE INSERT WITH ART WORK 100% AUTHENTIC GENUINE CD GURANTEE TO PLAY EXCHANGES ONLY BUYER PAYS SHIPPING AND HANDLING
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| Tracks:
| • | It Was Supposed To Be So Easy | | • | Could Well Be In | | • | Not Addicted | | • | Blinded By The Light | | • | I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way | | • | Get Out Of My House | | • | Fit But You Know It | | • | Such A Twat | | • | What Is He Thinking | | • | Dry Your Eyes | | • | Empty Cans |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
With beats that mix hip-hop, R&B, and UK garage, A Grand Don't Come For Free, like its impressive predecessor Original Pirate Material (2002), transforms the everyday and the mundane into the terms of an epic. British rapper Mike Skinner captures the simple details of a simple existence that inhabits the lower levels of the middle class. But whereas Original Pirate Material was more about everyday life on the streets, this follow-up is more about everyday life in the flat--mom's kitchen, my mate's living room, my girl's couch. The Streets has fallen in love, and his raps narrate the adventures and misadventures of this romance. In all, it is a concept album that places greater emphasis on storytelling rather than on the music, which is often spare with little or no enhancements. With some songs expressing the beauty of love and others expressing the pleasures of drugs, the Streets is still holding it down for the UK. --Charles Mudede
Album Description
Mike Skinner, the musical mastermind behind The Streets, once again melds hip-hop, dub, ska, UK garage beats, and his unique rhyme style to deliver a sound like nothing else. Instead of the snapshot imagery of the last album, "Original Pirate Material", "A Grand..." is one continuous narrative, following Skinner through a day of victories, defeats, and battles.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 152 more reviews...
 Mostly strained misfires, with one glaring exception May 10, 2008
2 1/2
A lot of this sounds bad. Bad production, bad lines, bad songs. Sure it is more creative then US hip hop but that inherently does not make it good. Usually this eccentric-by-way-of-complete-normalcy UK rapper seems too preoccupied with his urban wit and unattractive tunes to do what he does best. Because the thing is, it is obvious Skinner possesses talent when truly in his element. The first and last few tracks bookend this loose concept album with some authentic dignity, but only Blinded By The Light stands out as a true masterwork of contemporary rap. All of the elements Streets use with far less degree of impact fall perfectly into place on that fourth track, only hinting at what true focus in the studio could yield.
 Interesting... February 2, 2008
When i first listened to this CD through a friend i was intrigued, after carefully listening and being open minded i found myself being bored. Overall its a decent CD but nothing overly special or unique.
 A Real Musical Treat June 27, 2007
This work is original and very good. I recommend it to anyone interested in unique talents like Streets. I have noticed a trend with English groups that represent a poetic sense coupled with a feel for Anglo hiphop.
Dry your eyes mate!
Funny, fresh, different April 5, 2007
I like The Hardest Way album even better but A Grand is very good, too. Some songs made me laugh out loud and still I can't help but grin when I hear them. I appreciate it when an artist has a unique way of looking at everyday experiences and Mike certainly does that.
Excellent CD transcends genre boundaries January 24, 2007
The Streets, effectively rapper Mike Skinner's vehicle, come into their own on "A Grand Don't Come for Free". While Skinner's debut, "Original Pirate Material", got by on unique beats and Skinner's unusual delivery, "A Grand Don't Come For Free" works just as well on a song-by-song basis, but is also a surprisingly cohesive and moving concept album about relationships and friendship. The album tells the story of the beginning and end of a relationship, matched thematically by the loss and search for a thousand pounds. Sound dull?
Quite simply, it isn't. Skinner's take on the mundane is both familiar and insightful. Highlights abound, from the humorous and catchy "Could Well Be In" to the heartbreaking (and only single) "Dry Your Eyes". Trying to characterize Skinner in a particular genre (hip-hop, garage, etc.) is useless - no CD in 2004 was as funny, melodic, or moving as "A Grand Don't Come for Free". No music lover should miss it.
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