What exactly happened to Mike Skinner? A brilliant, decade-defining debut was followed by a foray into mainstream chart territory with 'Dry Your Eyes' and 'Fit But You Know It', and before we knew it, everyone's favourite Birmingham geezer was recording with Muse, having a funeral for his self-owned record label and declaring that he was sick of the music industry. No longer the young innovator that he once was, Skinner's struggled in recent years to trump his early material - a feat not helped by 2006's lacklustre, negatively-received The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living.
And then Everything Is Borrowed came along. Reportedly the penultimate album in the Streets canon, the 30-year-old had everything to prove with his fourth album and for the most part, he succeeds. Although it's is far from Skinner's best material, it's certainly a step in the right direction, and a markedly more upbeat effort than its predecessor. From the wonky, gospel-pop vibe of the title track, to the hip-hop flow of The Way of the Dodo and the '70s jazz/funk of The Sherry End, Everything Is Borrowed shows a willingness to diversify that hasn't been displayed on a Streets record in a long time.
True, there are more than a couple of slightly cringeworthy moments: Alleged Legend's discordant, funereal soundtrack is more Munsters-scary than genuinely creepy, and the simplistic nature of love song The Strongest Person I Know, while sweet in its intention, is a bit too unctuous for its own good. It's representative of where Skinner is as a lyricist, though: "I came to this world with nothing, I leave with nothing but love. Everything else is just borrowed," he croons at one stage. If this album really is a provision for his swansong, then, it'll do just fine.
