Sugar Ray

by Steve Huey
Belying their origins as a raucous funk metal band, Sugar Ray turned out several of the most breezily infectious summer singles of the late '90s, hitting on an appealing combination of sunny pop, lightly funky hip-hop grooves, and reggae lilt. Pegged as likely one-hit wonders after their 1997 breakthrough smash "Fly," Sugar Ray managed to maintain their career momentum far longer than many observers expected, helped in no small part by the teen-mag pinup looks of lead singer Mark Mcgrath. Of course, it also helped that the band was able to duplicate the carefree vibe and effortless catchiness of "Fly" on its subsequent singles. Not everything Sugar Ray recorded bore the sonic stamp of "Fly," but that was certainly the sound that made them radio staples.