You can't blame modern rockers for skimming some energy from hip-hop. In the early Nineties, arty guitar bands filled the coolness void left by a slumping rap scene. But as the pendulum swings back to beats and rhymes, guitar bands need all the cool they can scrounge up, and hip-hop now has it to spare. Some bands sound desperate and grumpy about this state of affairs-witness the Offspring's race-baiting complaint, "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)," which rails against white rap fans (as if listening to Jay-Z could possibly be any lamer than listening to the Offspring). But Sugar Ray and Fun Lovin' Criminals are two guitar bands that know how to riff on hip-hop style, rocking their turntable-and-microphone fantasies with playful verve. Sugar Ray's 14:59 and the Criminals' 100% Colombian sound utterly crude and tasteless, which is a compliment in an age when most rock radio bands still sound like they think Live are the bomb.

Sugar Ray fluked their way into a classic summer hit with 1997's "Fly," but they wisely don't beat the suburban-reggae formula into the ground on 14:59. Instead, these Orange County, California, lover boys go off the deep end with gorgeous psychedelic guitar hooks and drum loops, and Mark McGrath's wise-guy futon talk. They bust their usual smartass hip-hop moves:DJ Homicide rocks the wheels of steel, while KRS-One pads his modern-rock resume with a guest rap on "Live and Direct." For Sugar Ray, 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 sampler. "Someday" mashes up Beatles melodies with Sublime beats, "Personal Space Invader" sounds like Devo on surfboards, and "Ode to the Lonely Hearted" reminds you that Sugar Ray's producer, David Kahne, made his first big score with the Bangles. The only downer comes when they get serious, with a straight cover of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra" ("I feel magic when I touch your dress"-jeez Louise). But all over 14:59, Sugar Ray swing like their new Orange County neighbor Mo Vaughn.

The New York trio Fun Lovin' Criminals became superstars in Europe with their spotty debut, Come Find Yourself, but on 100% Colombian they throw a much wilder party. Steve, Fast and Huey cut their live-band funk with rat-pack scatting, countrified guitar picking, a B.B. King duet and street-wise local humor (best line: "Just like Gasorama on Avenue B/He'll check under the hood, and he'll teach you tai chi"). 100% Colombian is their love album, heavy on the ballads. "Up on the Hill,""We Are All Very Worried About You"and "Sugar" coast on Hennessy-smooth R&B keyboards, while "Love Unlimited" chants the slow-jam mantra "Barry White saved my life." But the highlight is "Big Night Out," a tall tale about out-of-towners looking for love in L.A. The Criminals sample the funky-fresh guitar break from Tom Petty's "American Girl" and end the song with a sing-along reprise swiped from an old Marshall Tucker Band hit: "Can't you see, can't you see/I got supermodels on my D."

Subtle it's not, but the Criminals' obviousness is part of their sleazy charm. They never sound like they admire rap out of hipster slumming or racial exoticism; like Sugar Ray, they admire hip-hop because it kicks their ass.Both bands play their instruments like mixmasters, slicing and dicing throughpop history while looking for the perfect beat-even if they'll play itwrong when they find it. They never stoop to G. Love and Special Sauce-styleminstrel shtick, but they respect hip-hop enough to rip it up the way Run-DMCripped up the Knack. Neither band would dream of pretending to keep it real;these are party records for sure. But Sugar Ray and Fun Lovin' Criminals puttheir own spin on DJ-culture mixology, and they show you why they're proud tobe hip-hop's offspring. (RS 805)

Howling Wolf

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(Posted: Jan 12, 1999)