Is there any difference between one Sugar Ray album and another? I think so, as I enjoyed their self titled 2001 effort the most, even more than their highly successful "14:59" release (from 1999). Sugar Ray 2001, thanks to producer Don Gilmore, leaned much more towards the rock and power pop end of the spectrum. Sugar Ray is better known for their breezy, beach pop that most of their fans like to chill out to. I think this release was an attempt to get back to those "roots," (and the title is consistent with this idea) but it just falls flat on many levels.
The record gets off to a pretty good start with the rocking tune "Chasin' You Around" but momentum is lost with a pretty lame cover of Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" I applaud Mark McGrath's taste in music here, but nobody is going to beat Joe's version, and there is no point in doing a note by note rendering of it. Joe is probably moaning, "Is He Really Gonna Sing My Song?"
Then it goes downhill rapidly from there with track after track of less than melodic, forgettable tripe to chill to. So this record might be suitable for background music while playing cards in your cabana, but why reach for it when they did it better with previous releases?
iPOD-worthy: 1
Sugar Ray - official site.
Check out the video for the inane "Mr. Bartender (It's So Easy)":
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