Rolling Stone (7/5/01, p.138) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...SUGAR RAY drifts further from the group's early aggro-pop sound....Their laid-back attitude is infectiously unfussy....pulling sounds together withthe glee of teens collecting cool stuff...from a baking Southside beach."
Spin (8/01, pp.129-30) - 6 out of 10 - "...Pretty good...especially 'When It's Over'....And the videos are great, too. Damn the '00s - famous-sounding music is probably going to stay famous for a long time..."
Q (9/01, p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...As radio-friendly as Radiohead are not..."
Sugar Ray: Mark McGrath (vocals); Rodney Sheppard (guitar); Murphy Karges (bass); Stanton Frazier (drums); DJ Homicide (turntables).
Additional personnel: Nick Hexum (vocals); William Francis, David Holdredge (guitar); Jaydee Madness (pedal steel guitar); John "Juke" Logan (harmonica); Emmanuel Dean, Greg Kurstin (keyboards); David Khane (programming).
Producers: Don Gilmore, David Kahne, Ralph Sall.
Engineers include: Don Gilmore, John Ewing, Jr., Eddie Miller.
Recorded at NRG Studios, North Hollywood, California, Scream Studios, Studio City, California, Jim Henson Studios and SoundCastle Recording, Los Angeles, California.
Without a trace of irony, Sugar Ray name-checks Culture Club, Men Without Hats and KROQ's Rock Of The Eighties, alongside The Clash and Run-D.M.C. on "Under The Sun," a bewitching track on their eponymous fourth album. The shameless shout-outs aptly sum up the mood on SUGAR RAY, the 2001 release from the Cali-skater punks turned wistful pop stars via a string of late-'90s megahits such as "Fly" and "Every Morning." An endearingly unabashed allegiance to the pop hooks of that decade abounds, tempered by just a splash of punk attitude in Mark McGrath's scratchy yet melodic vocals and a touch of hip-hop bounce in DJ Hurricane's adroit spinning.
While Sugar Ray may have to constantly elude being tarred as featherweight, it's no bother as their brand of light and breezy pop is unreservedly appealing. Amidst the chaos the world dishes out, there's always room for sing-along pop songs like the lush "When It's Over, " the bordering-on-brash "Satellites," and the silly yet subtly funky "Ours." Sugar Ray are that old blanket, undeniably familiar yet providing sweet comfort within the folds of their well-crafted music.
