14:59

Performer: Sugar Ray (Rock)
Artist: KRS-One
Producer: David Kahne
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Sugar Ray: Mark McGrath (vocals); Rodney Sheppard (guitar); Murphy Karges (bass); Stanton Frazier (drums); DJ Homicide (turntables). Additional personnel: KRS-One (rap vocals); David Kahne (programming). Engineers: David Kahne, John Travis, Steve Gallagher. Personnel: David Kahne (programming). Audio Mixers: David Kahne; John Travis . Recording information: Ocean Way Recording; Studio 56; Sunset Sound Studios; Swing House. Photographer: F. Scott Schafer. After scoring big with their previous effort, FLOORED, Sugar Ray returns with their infectious blend of funky grooves, modern rock and hip-hop. The group manages to meld all of these styles into an excellently produced, exciting record. Opening with the deceptive, Sepultura style "New Direction," Sugar Ray glides into a mellower mode with the album's first single "Every Morning," a comfortable pop ditty. "Live And Direct" has a reggae feel and features veteran rapper KRS-One. "Someday" is a straight-ahead pop tune, with some drum loops and scratches thrown in. "Ode To The Lonely Hearted" combines smooth harmonies with catchy hooks. "Even Though" rocks harder, but still remains a slick, short and sweet pop tune. "Abracadabra" is a cover of Steve Miller's smash hit, with some extra keyboards and programming added. Sugar Ray is a rock band that fuses other elements into their sound for wider appeal. They don't pretend to be master MC's or turntable wizards, and 14:59 is a good party record from a band that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Rolling Stone (2/4/99, pp.59-60) - "...these Orange County, California, lover boys go off the deep end with gorgeous psychedelic guitar hooks and drum loops....hip-hop is just one of the influences corrupting their depraved young minds, and everything they play is shaped by the cut-and-paste aesthetic of the the sampler..." Q (6/99, p.114) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...a sure pop touch which is ably demonstrated on the new-wavey Personal Space Invader, makes 14:59 a great little summer record." NME (Magazine) (6/19/99, p.30) - 7 out of 10 - "...if you wanted a soundtrack for the kind of sun-kissed pool-party the sleeve depicts, '14:59' is maybe as good as you could get today..."

What do you get when you have a singer with movie-star good looks (Mark McGrath) fronting a hard-edged pop band? In Sugar Ray's case, that formula spelled massive commercial success during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After starting off as a power chord-driven hard-rock band, Sugar Ray softened their sound, and scored big with such ska-tinged pop ditties as "Fly" and "Every Morning."

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