SUGAR RAY
"Lemonade and Brownies" (Atlantic
Records; 1995)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
Sugar Ray combined funk, metal and whole bunch of
goofiness on this debut disc. I only picked up this disc because of the same
reason everybody else did: the cover. DJ Lethal produced this hip-hop/rap metal
hybrid and at times the clock seems to tick backwards on the timer -- some of
these songs are just too weird. I can see splicing together seamless cuts but at
times I think I'm listening to four different songs playing over each other. It
doesn't happen that often though.
When these Orange County kids want to get stupid, be prepared for anything.
There are some tracks that I can't even get all the way through. They could give
me the winning lottery numbers at the very end, but I'll never know. Such tracks
include titles like "Danzig Needs A Hug" and "Scuzzboots." This is a long disc
too, clocking in at 43:07. There are some nasty little guitar riffs and when the
metal portion is injected the songs do have some kick. "10 Seconds Down" has the
best riff on the whole disc and the song just stomps.
Last note: Who would have guessed that Mark McGrath
would go on to be such a recognizable face?
If you haven't ever heard anything from this album please allow me to offer you
some suggestions: "Rhyme Stealer," "The Greatest," "10 Seconds Down," and
"Streaker" (at least up to 4:03).
Sugar Ray is: Mark McGrath – vocals, guitar; Rodney Sheppard – guitar, vocals;
Murphy Karges – bass; Stan Frazier – drums, percussion, guitar, vocals.
For more information, check out
http://www.sugarray.com or
http://www.myspace.com/sugarray.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2009 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
01 Apr 2024 11:14:19 -0500.
