Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath had proven himself on national television as a walking rock encyclopedia, in a 1998 episode of VH1's Rock and Roll Jeopardy. It was an impressive feat that could explain the divergent styles of Sugar Ray's 1999 album 14:59. Their third album showed an alarming overhaul in their approach, practically moving Sugar Ray into a new genre. 14:59 steered them from their metal shellac toward a calmer, melodious pastiche of songs. The band on 14:59 has versatility nailed down better than your grade-A wedding band: "Every Morning" bounces with the acoustic pop gentility of their 1997 hit "Fly," while "Falls Apart" and "Personal Space Invader" reflect influences from Synchronicity and Men Without Hats. 14:59 also favors the leaner, faster punk of Green Day in "Aim for Me." There's even a frighteningly faithful cover of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra." If there's one criticism of 14:59, it's that if you listen hard enough you'll be playing "sounds like..." for many songs. In that sense it's almost a parody; the inclusion of two comic songs entitled "New Direction" (one death metal, one circus tent) help that assessment. Finally, though, 14:59 has such catchiness and charm that it's a guilty pleasure of high order, and a bigger step than one might have expected from Sugar Ray.
Sugar Ray
14:59
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AllMusic Review by Paul Pearson
Track Listing
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sugar Ray | 00:48 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
2 | Sugar Ray | 03:39 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
3 | Sugar Ray | 04:15 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
4 | Sugar Ray | 03:38 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
5 | Sugar Ray | 04:34 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
6 | Sugar Ray | 04:02 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
7 | Sugar Ray | 02:20 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
8 |
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Sugar Ray | 03:12 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
9 | Sugar Ray | 03:01 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
10 | Sugar Ray | 02:35 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
11 | Sugar Ray | 03:42 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
12 | Sugar Ray | 03:26 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
13 | Sugar Ray | 01:18 | SpotifyAmazon |