Search - Sugar Ray :: Music for Cougars

Relax, and let yourself enjoy a solid album.

Emie | Illinois, United States | 07/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Admittedly, I've never met a Sugar Ray album I didn't like.



Unfortunately, hearing a Sugar Ray fan praise a Sugar Ray album is like hearing a Bon Jovi fan drool over a Bon Jovi album...or a Led Zeppelin fan swoon over IV...or a Miley Cyrus fan fawn over a Hannah Montana soundtrack. It's all hopelessly biased.



So, instead of merely gushing over "Music For Cougars" like a fanboy, I'll try to provide some legitimate reasons why I appreciate this album. Maybe some reasons will resonate with you:



-Variety

Sugar Ray's greatest strength has always been their versatility. This album has tastes of reggae, hip-hop, rock, disco, electronic, and Jack Johnson-esque acoustic vibing.

Unlike some other bands who have been forced into a creative corner (releasing similar song after similar song, year after year), Sugar Ray has managed to cover all their bases.

They've also added a sense of maturity to their song making, as evidenced in songs like "Rainbow". Of course, that doesn't mean the beach party is over, as the album still holds its share of sun-baked, pool side music.



-Collaboration

Sugar Ray always has a collab or two on their albums..."Cougars" is no different with all sorts of duets and guest writers:

Collie Buddz - "Girls Were Made to Love"

Rivers Cuomo from Weezer - "Love is the Answer"

Native Wayne - "Love 101"

Donavon Frankenreiter - "Dance Like No One's Watchin'"



-Vocals

Lead singer Mark McGrath lets loose, and really "sings out" in a number of these tunes ("Rainbow", "Boardwalk", "Love is the Answer"). Plus, it wouldn't be Sugar Ray without those trademark vocal harmonies, would it? (see: "Boardwalk", "Dance Like No One's Watchin'", "Morning Sun")



-Humility

I always find it humorous when people write Sugar Ray off as "1 hit wonders" when, in reality, they are actually 6 hit wonders at the very least (8 hit wonders at best). This is a VERY successful band. And, yet in interviews (and when I met them twice at concerts) they come across as five humble, down-to-earth fellows. If you're going to spend money on a band, it's good to know you're spending it on people who actually respect you. No delusions of grandeur or inflated egos here. Just musicians.



-Intentions

Sugar Ray has taken a lot of criticism from "hardcore" music fans claiming the band "sold out", abandoning the punk rock for the radio-friendly "pop-hop" that earned them platinum and gold. Well, fast forward to 2009 when Sugar Ray's popularity has softened and the hype is gone. Members of the band have stated in interviews that the wild success of previous albums is nearly impossible at this point in their career...and they don't mind at all. According to Sugar Ray, the purpose of "Cougars" was simply to get together and make some music, whether commercially successful or not. So, I guess that makes Sugar Ray more indie than the average indie band.



How ironic that the supposed "pop sell outs" have returned 12 years later to show us what true, heartfelt, non-commercial, AUTHENTIC music making is all about. At the very least, you gotta respect them for that.



PS. The bonus songs are nice remakes. "Someday" is a particlarly clean rendition."

Back Like They Never Left...

M. Lindberg | USA | 07/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Six years after their last album, Sugar Ray returns after an extended break to release their latest album "Music for Cougars." The album title might be comical, but the music is seriously good.

The band encompasses all of their previous efforts into this album, with a little bit of reggae and hip-hop influence, as well as the modern rock/jazz tracks. But more importantly, this is a feel good album.

What's likable about this album is that the listener can tell the band wasn't trying to make #1 singles. They know their best days, popularity wise, are behind them. Lead singer Mark McGrath made note of it in a recent interview.

As a result of no pressure, the band makes 12 enjoyable songs. Standouts include "Boardwalk," "Closer," "Rainbow," "When We Were Young" and "Last Days." While some songs are stronger than others, there isn't a terrible track on this record.

This might not be Sugar Ray's best album to date, but it's a solid record overall and in my opinion, one of their best. Any Sugar Ray fan will appreciate and enjoy this album."

A Tune I'm Happy to Hear

B. J. Sparks | 07/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sugar Ray, after a six year layoff breached only by an unceremonious greatest hits album, is back. Their last release, 2003's In the Pursuit of Leisure, was all-pop-no-pizazz; although it featured that summery theme that they're famous for, it wound-up sounding flat, there was no punch. Music for Cougars is the antithesis to that. This sounds like the band is having fun, and you can really feel that vibe through the music. Mark's lyrics aren't anything special, they never were and he never aims for such to be, the band's musical composition is neither extraordinary, but things feel polished - this is a Sugar Ray that knows their stuff, their audience and how to satisfy them. It hasn't been since '99's 14:59 that they've been downright in-tune, but this is either just as good or perhaps better. It's probably fortunate that they aimed not to outdo themselves, and just make a record for the love of it, because this album - while average in a lot of respects - has heart, a lot of heart.



I'm really happy to be hearing these guys again, it's been a long break for Sugar Ray fans, but the band has once more hit their stride and Music for Cougars promises to impart memories; this is a de facto theme-of-that-summer kind of album, and we'll be enjoying its tunes for a long time to come. Thank you Mark & Guys for putting this one out."