Jamie T

Jamie Treays' excellent street-level lyrics feature the same joyfully slack abandon and wry incisiveness that made The Streets' Mike Skinner and the Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner household names in England. Jamie T's music falls into Streets' and Monkeys' territory as well -- homemade hip-hop beats and leisurely pop licks, all held together with tales of druggy abandon and grimy day-to-day living. It's fresh, catchy and funny (particularly on the hit "Sheila" and the wonderful "Pacemaker.") Small wonder that the British press are hailing Jamie T as England's answer to Beck.