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Sugar Ray
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By any yardstick, Sugar Ray are lightweights. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- some of the greatest pop songs are unabashedly fluffy and disposable, and Sugar Ray's best tunes are both. While no one's likely to use their name in the same sentence with words like ''art'' or ''deep,'' only a professional cynic could deny that the California based quintet's sun drenched music is mighty catchy. With their knack for indelible choruses and canny use of hip hop flavorings, Sugar Ray are sort of a postmodern corollary to '70s flyweights like Three Dog Night. It's not hip to admit you like them, but their finest songs almost demand that you crank 'em up -- especially if you're in your car alone and ''Fly'' comes on the radio.
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By their fourth album, Sugar Ray had developed a real ease to their music. Starting with "Fly," they no longer tried so hard to rock -- they no longer tried to ape the Red Hot Chili Peppers -- and began relaxing into a sun-kissed, laid-back groove, the kind of music where even the fast numbers powered by distorted guitars don't necessarily sound heavy. This came to the forefront on 14:59, but it blossoms on that album's follow-up, Sugar Ray. Where 14:59 was a little self-conscious and jokey (culminating in a cover of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra"), Sugar Ray feels easy and natural, so it's easy to smile at the reference to Run-D.M.C.instead of cringing. And that'sthe key to the record -- it's relaxed, utterly without pretension, and often charmingly melodic. Sure, there are some cuts that fall flat, but this record is more consistent than any of their previous albums, thanks not only to a stronger set of material, but the fact that the band is gelling as a band, which makes even the missteps easier to listen to.
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In September of 1991, Sugar Ray joined the world renowned Roomful of Blues and performed over 200 dates a year worldwide. With Ray as front man, Roomful was nominated for countless awards and ... recorded four critically acclaimed albums all appearing on the Billboard Blues Charts. In 1996, Roomful's "Turn It On! Turn It Up!" which included three of Ray's original compositions was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues category. During this hectic schedule Ray managed to cut two great recordings. A solo CD for Rounder called "Sweet and Swingin'" and a brilliant CD on the Telarc label entitled "Super Harps" featuring Sugar with James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite and Billy Branch.
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[W]ith Kahne in the producer's chair, Sugar Ray delivered their third album at the beginning of 1999. The title, 14:59, was a wry reference to Andy Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" dictum, but as it turned out, the group's time wasn't up by a long shot. 14:59 wound up outselling its predecessor, eventually going triple platinum. The first single, the "Fly"-like "Every Morning," shot to number three on the pop charts and became the group's second number one at modern-rock radio. Their follow-up singles were successful this time around as well, as the hits "Someday" and "Falls Apart" consolidated the group's growing reputation for summery, radio-friendly alternative pop; plus, the album boasted a guest appearance from hip-hop legend KRS-One. The band played Woodstock '99 that summer, and ... made a guest appearance on Run-D.M.C.'s Crown Royal album.
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Sugar Ray