Sugar Ray

SUGAR RAY
"SUGAR RAY"
(Atlantic, 2001)


"Disasterpiece"


Thanks in part to its ridiculously photogenic lead vocalist, Mark McGrath, California band Sugar Ray hit it big at the turn of the millennium, starting out their major-label career as a raucous rap-metal group before gradually mellowing out their sound. Their breakthrough album, "14:59", still had a few of the rowdier songs that recalled earlier Sugar Ray, but its sound was overall much more radio-friendly -- and as a result, provided the band with their biggest hit singles. But rather than maintaining the same formula for their next, self-titled release, they further softened their sound.

The listeners' response to this album was less enthusiastic than to "14:59", and critical reaction was mixed, but I personally love it and consider it their best. As hinted at by the album's cover photo -- a simple portrait of the band with their instruments, in a white-foreground/blue-background theme that might suggest they're perched upon a cloud in the sky -- this is a perfectly enjoyable pop-rock record: mostly laid-back, but it can rock when it wants to.

There's something on this album for everyone to enjoy: crunchy-guitar rock ("Sorry Now", "Answer The Phone"), a tender ballad ("When It's Over"), cool mid-tempo numbers ("Words To Me", "Ours"), and even a little reggae ("Stay On", featuring 311's Nick Hexum) and country ("Just a Little"). At the heart of these picture-perfect melodies is McGrath's less-than-perfect voice, and I mean that in a good way -- his face is so handsome that for the guy to also have a perfect voice would make him seem unreal. Here's my favorite track, the album closer -- one of the most delectable little nuggets of pure power-pop ever recorded. (Hand claps! Harmonized nonsense refrains! Yeah!)

Sugar Ray put out one studio album after this one ("In The Pursuit Of Leisure") which was not quite as good, and soon after that a greatest hits album. Word has it they're working on some new material, having been released from their contract with Atlantic Records. I sure can't wait ... McGrath's wasting his talents hosting a TV entertainment news show, if he's even still doing that anymore.