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14:59

Artist: Sugar Ray
Genre: Alternative
Year: 1999
Rating: 7 / 10

When Sugar Ray burst onto the music scene in 1997 with "Fly," the hit single off of their debut album Floored, the group had 'one-hit-wonder' written all over it. Popular on rock radio stations as well as pop ones, "Fly" took the world by storm. Unfortunately for the band and for the public at large, Sugar Ray was unable to deliver on the potential of "Fly," and the group faded almost as quickly as they had arrived.

Fast forward to 1999, and the band's triumphant return to mainstream success. In early spring, "Every Morning," the first release from 14:59, roared onto playlists across the nation once more. While fans everywhere were clearly excited, the inevitable concern arose. Would this album be merely another bit of one-song magic, or did it have more depth to it than the band's initial offering? A month or so passed, and Sugar Ray fans had their answer. "Falls Apart" proved that, not only was the band for real, but that it was still evolving.

14:59, named as such in reference to Andy Warhol's timeless remark about the fleeting nature of fame, might just be the breakthrough album Sugar Ray was hoping for with Floored. Lead singer Mark McGrath, sporting a bleached look that has apparently caused women everywhere to swoon, has a catchy vocal rhythm to him, and it is showcased on nearly every track. The band abandoned some of its harder tendencies after the first album, and 14:59 offers some significantly mellower fare. This is not to say that the band cannot drive a thumping rocker when necessary, a fact which is in evidence on "Personal Space Invader," "Aim for Me," and the group's cover of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra." However, 14:59 illustrates that the band can turn the energy down a few degrees on a couple of their more soothing numbers, namely "Someday" and "Even Though."

Whether Sugar Ray is earmarked for stardom or not remains to be seen, but their latest effort certainly is a step in the right direction. The album could still use a few more standout tracks to go with "Every Morning" and "Falls Apart," but the remainder of the album does offer a certain consistency to it. 14:59 makes surprisingly good driving music, especially "Falls Apart," with its powerful guitar riffs. Even more significantly, though, is the fact that the album seems to get better with each progressive listening. "Round and round and round it goes / Where it stops, nobody knows."

Submitted 6/2/99.