Sugar Ray's infectious breakthrough single, "Fly," epitomizes the big, dopey ska-lite that has dominated the waning Nineties. The insipid little ditty has been so prevalent, in fact, that's hard to imagine that anyone but the most ardent Sugar Ray fans are champing at the bit for the band's follow-up to last year's Floored.

But you have to give props to the SoCal quintet -- with a nod to Andy Warhol -- for what may be the most self-effacing and snappiest album title since, well, ever. Ladies and gentleman, Sugar Ray gives you: 14:59.

"Having had three records, everyone in the band feels like this is the best we've done so far," says Sugar Ray guitarist Rodney Sheppard, attempting to defuse the album title's significance. "We've beaten down the one-hit wonder thing in our own minds, and now we'll see if everyone agrees with us. Only time will tell."

Time is certainly Sugar Ray's biggest enemy -- that and the daunting task of duplicating the success of the juggernaut that was "Fly." But instead of stressing out, the band members took an existential approach to this round of songwriting. "The success of 'Fly' and the whole album [Floored] really gave us a lot of confidence," Sheppard says. "That's why we went for it a little harder and the subject matter is a little deeper."

"Deep" certainly seems a reach for a group whose lead singer recently graced the cover of Cosmopolitan as one of America's most eligible bachelors. Let's just say the new material may prove to be slightly more "about something." The album's first single, "Every Morning," which is set to hit radio on Dec. 1, explores basic relationships between men and women and how a one-night stand is sometimes unavoidable.

The rest of the album, Sheppard explains, is split between harmony-laden songs with acoustic guitar, and Sugar Ray's trademark dance pop. Additionally, Sheppard says listeners can expect a "sort of Fifties melodic feel set to Nineties drum loops" with a definite Pet Sounds-meets-the-Fab Four sound.

"We're not trying to sound like the Beatles, but when you're listening to that music, it tends to come out in your own writing," he says. "The album as a whole is a lot more musical than our past work."

For Floored, the band enlisted rapper Super Cat and his reggae flava to "Fly." That hip-hop-tinged formula paid enough dividends to have the group go to the well again and reach out to hip-hop scholar KRS-One, who raps and sings his own lyrics on "Live and Direct."

In all, 14:59, due out Jan. 19, boasts eleven new songs and may also include Sugar Ray's version of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra," which is currently featured on the soundtrack to Sabriana The Teenage Witch. The band will embark on a headlining tour on Jan. 15 in support of the new album unless, of course, the clock strikes fifteen before then.

ARI BENDERSKY
(Nov. 11, 1998)