Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 36
  2. Negative: 1 out of 36
  1. His comic timing and mixture of slangs--not to mention his musical conception... are all so much more fully developed that he's actually made a record that's fun to play in the background.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    Easy Living undercuts potential mo' money, mo' problems cliches with a cheeky self-awareness that transcends national borders. [28 Apr 2006, p.135]
  3. 91
    With his knack for extracting humor from the mundane, Skinner’s the perfect poet for this snooze of a topic.
  4. Under The Radar
    90
    Throughout, Skinner's production is more precise, his hooks more pointed and polished, and his writing more clever and poignant. [#13, p.89]
  5. Most artists are well-aware of the pitfalls of the difficult third album, of course, and try to disguise their on tour / hotel room songs - but when has Mike Skinner ever been most artists?
  6. Filter
    84
    [It] starts off pretty much where the previous one left off, with Skinner feeling sorry for himself. This time though, he does so with greatly improved production values. [#20, p.97]
  7. Blender
    80
    While it can tend toward the tuneless, the upside is language that differs plenty from a Jay-Z or Eminem but stands beside them in terms of power--a flow that, once you get used to it, becomes its own form. [May 2006, p.110]
  8. Against all the odds though - can the self-pity of a millionaire rock star ever be listenable? - it's still a compelling record.
  9. The beats and lyrics get better with each listen.
  10. The Hardest Way... is twice as good as any album about the price of celebrity has a right to be.
  11. 'The Hardest Way To Make an Easy Living' is a far more skilfully crafted album than the 'A Grand...', despite what you might have heard.
  12. Alternative Press
    80
    Skinner's delivery is as appealing as ever. [Jun 2006, p.192]
  13. Uncut
    80
    The setting may have changed, the soundtrack is boosted and richer, grimier yet cleaner, but Skinner's predicaments remain the same. [May 2006, p.110]
  14. These tunes function like dispatches sent from the front lines back to chums stuck in Nowheresville; he's updated his characters and settings, but Skinner's working-class fascination with humanity's endearing fallibility is still his thematic calling card.
  15. Mojo
    80
    Although some of his lyrical tricks might sound a little familiar this time round, he remains one of Britain's great storytellers. [Jun 2006, p.104]
  16. Los Angeles Times
    75
    Those [Americans] who do get through the London accent and argot will appreciate pungent, witty confessions. [23 Apr 2006]
  17. Critics called it lazy, self-indulgent and amateurish--as if its predecessors somehow resembled Dark Side of the Moon. The truth is, this sounds exactly like Skinner's last two Brit Award-winning and Mercury Prize-nominated discs.
  18. Easy Living simply lacks the scope and gritty, lived-in detail that made Skinner’s first two efforts so appealing.
  19. "Hardest Way" is good, but perhaps not good enough to win him any new fans.
  20. The New York Times
    70
    Lovable -- and occasionally infuriating. [24 Apr 2006]
  21. The freewheeling garage bangers of Original Pirate Material have receded into the distance and we’re left with stabbing high-range synths... resulting in an album that’s charming and witty, but not as exhilarating as it might have been.
  22. Not only are there scattered moments of lyrical brilliance on The Hardest Way, but from a producerly standpoint, it's probably Skinner's most accomplished and interesting record yet.
  23. The Streets seem to be maturing musically: Skinner sings more often here and flows more nimbly but every bit as distinctively, and the production is even getting slightly more complex. What the album lacks, then, is any real emotional punch on the level of Skinner’s previous work.
  24. Vibe
    70
    A thoroughly entertaining listen. [May 2006, p.138]
  25. The album lacks the cleverness and affability of Original Pirate Material and the novelistic 2004 hallmark A Grand Don't Come For Free, and it's the first that calls for more explanation than exclamation.
  26. It’s a shame to see the character of Mike Skinner become so stale and hackneyed, especially when the beats are stronger than they’ve ever been before.
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 31
  2. Negative: 4 out of 31
  1. Apr 14, 2015
    7
    I like this album by The Streets, but not nearly as much as their 2 previous albums, which in my opinion are amazing. I just don't think thisI like this album by The Streets, but not nearly as much as their 2 previous albums, which in my opinion are amazing. I just don't think this album is as introspective as their previous work and feels kind of like fluff. Full Review »
  2. AViewAM
    Oct 30, 2006
    7
    When I heard "Grand" (yes, I started with the second album first) I thought I was hearing a whole new phase of hip-hop blowing out of my When I heard "Grand" (yes, I started with the second album first) I thought I was hearing a whole new phase of hip-hop blowing out of my speakers. Turns out I was partly right. Not as energetically powerful as OPM or as flowing lyrical as Grand, Hardest Way still manages to deliver the goods with even higher prod. values than before. Anyone who gives this album lower than a 6 has obviously come down with a nastly case of brain death. Full Review »
  3. Duncan
    Aug 3, 2006
    10
    Brilliant. His best album yet.