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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Every MorningRichard Bean, David Kahne, Sugar Ray, Pablo Tellez, Abel Zarate | Sugar Ray | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | Falls ApartDavid Kahne, Sugar Ray | Sugar Ray | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Personal Space InvaderDavid Kahne, Sugar Ray | Sugar Ray | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | Live & DirectDavid Kahne, Sugar Ray | Sugar Ray, KRS-One | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | SomedayDavid Kahne, Sugar Ray | Sugar Ray | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Aim for MeSugar Ray | Sugar Ray | Play | 02:20 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Burning DogSugar Ray | Sugar Ray | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | Even ThoughSugar Ray | Sugar Ray | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 9 | AbracadabraSteve Miller | Sugar Ray | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | GlorySugar Ray | Sugar Ray | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 11 | Ode To The Lonely Hearted | Sugar Ray | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 12 | New Direction (Mix) | Sugar Ray | Play | 01:18 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 39 mins | 91 MB | |||||
| 39 mins | 272 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Bean | Composer |
| 2 | Larry Freemantle | Art Direction |
| 3 | Steve Gallagher | Engineer |
| 4 | David Kahne | Composer, Engineer, Mastering, Mixing, Producer, Programming |
| 5 | KRS-One | Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist |
| 6 | Steve Miller | Composer |
| 7 | F. Scott Schafer | Photography |
| 8 | Sugar Ray | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 9 | Pablo Tellez | Composer |
| 10 | John Travis | Engineer, Mixing |
| 11 | Abel Zarate | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |