The Best of Sugar Ray

The 1990's really brought out a lot of great party bands to the Top 40 scene. There have been very few that really are still continuing to hit the scene. Even Sugar Ray are probably surprised that they lasted as long as they did, since their third album was winkingly titled 14:59, a reference to Andy Warhol's "fifteen minutes of fame." Newport Beach, California's best feel-good band Sugar Ray formed as a group of buddies jamming at local parties. Fortunately, for listeners, they've never completely lost that vibe. Unfortunately, when they released their first album Lemonade and Brownies, with soft porn album cover art, they were mired in a rather uninspired, and unconvincing, funk hardcore sound. But before Floored, their second album, the band hooked up with Bangles producer David Kahne who helped tighten up their sound and uncover the cool, laid back band lurking underneath the artificial edginess.

Sugar Ray shot into public consciousness with the gently loping, good-time feel of Fly in 1997. After 2 more hit albums and 4 hit singles their fifth album In the Pursuit Of Leisure, released in 2003, faded from sight failing to generate any radio hits. The Best Of Sugar Ray gives us ample reason to see their demise as premature and be hopeful for the band's future. 15-track career overview contains all of their hits (Someday, Fly, Every Morning, When It's Over and many more), a handful of album tracks (for example, a cover of Joe Jackson's Is She Really Going Out with Him), and three new songs (the summery Shot of Laughter, a pleasant ska-inflected take on Cyndi Lauper's '80s classic Time After Time, and the almost punky Psychedelic Bee, which recalls the earliest tracks gathered here (Mean Machine and Rhyme Stealer)). The new material recorded this year shows a band that has lost none of their charm.

The collection was released in the middle of June 2005, just as the summer was getting under way. That's appropriate, because Sugar Ray's breezy party music is designed for the summer, as this 15-track disc proves – not only is it the perfect soundtrack for lazy days at the beach, lead singer Mark McGrath incessantly mentions summer in his lyrics, which just sets the mood. If your music collection doesn't include Sugar Ray, it's about time you added their straightforward, non-pretentious brand of fun. This is an outstanding collection with all the hits and a number of forgotten gems. You will return to it time and time again all summer long.