A Grand Don't Come for Free (Bonus Track Version)

"Concept album" may be too pretentious a name for Brit hip-hopper Mike Skinner's off-handedly brilliant sophomore effort A Grand Don't Come For Free. But these 11 tracks have a narrative flow all the more irresistible because it's so mundane. Loserish stoner 'Mike' gets girl, loses girl, misplaces 1000 pounds, then finds it again, amid everyday minutiae like broken appliances, bad drug experiences, and a blown football bet. Backed by simple and mechanical DIY beats, Skinner's Brummie/Cockney-laced rhymes stutter along high and sometimes awkward in the mix, closer to old-fashioned storytelling than what we think of as rap. Musical flourishes are all the more striking amid the general sparseness: The grandiose horns of "It Was Supposed To Be So Easy," and the Blur-ish guitars of the lad anthem "Fit and You Know It." The eight-minute closing epic "Empty Cans" hits like a hurricane, its snarling, stabbing drumbeats giving way to piano in a stunning and redemptive turnaround. You might not be able to dance to most of this, but A Grand isn't background music; it deserves close attention the way a great book demands to be read.