Sugar Ray
June 2003

Two years on from the success of 2001's million-selling eponymous Sugar Ray, the boys from Newport Beach are back with a new album, "In The Pursuit of Leisure" on Atlantic, released June 3rd. On the CD they cover Joe Jackson's classic "Is She Really Going Out With Him" and it's in the radio.wazee Spotlight this week. Hailing from Orange County, California, Sugar Ray's first album "Lemonade & Brownies" was lukewarmly received by critics and audiences alike. Their sophomore effort, though, catapulted them to stardom with the smash hit "Fly." With its winning, up-beat tempo and singer Mark McGrath's infectious and enthusiastic singing, the song was quickly on the lips of every adult-alternative fan across the nation, and the rest is history. Pop and proud of it, the SoCal rockers Sugar Ray are back in stores with their fifth album of sunshine-infused, party-friendly music. The album also marks the return of long-time collaborator David Kahne, who helped craft past hits "Fly," "Every Morning," and "When It's Over." "On the last record we wanted to exorcise our rock 'n' roll demons," singer Mark McGrath explains. "This time we were interested in mixing things up a bit more. We knew that [Kahne] would be up for going out on a limb with us. He's always got new production techniques he wants to try out; he's always interested in trying new things." Sugar Ray led off with the clubby "Mr. Bartender (It's So Easy)," currently on the Top 30 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 charts. With "Is She Really Going Out With Him" they're leaning back toward the classics, but putting a distinctly Sugar Ray twist on a song that originally appeared on Joe Jackson's 1979 classic album "Look Sharp." "David [Kahne]'s not interested in redoing," McGrath explained. "He's interested in updating the song and not making it better than the original, necessarily, but hopefully you can add an element as interesting. At the core, it's still the song. Joe Jackson has a really distinctive voice. It's not necessarily Pavarotti-esque, but it's right up my alley and it just fit really nice. It was a fun song to do." Recorded in just a week and a half, Jackson's "Look Sharp!" was highlighted by "Is She Really Going Out With Him?," which peaked in the Billboard Top 25. Decades later the song also appeared on the soundtrack to gross-out comedy "There's Something About Mary" (Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon), and was also covered by rockers Goldfinger on 1999's "Darrin's Coconut Ass." Long considered a pop classic, "Is She Really Going Out With Him" has also become a popular song with the college a cappella set, covered by notable groups ranging from Cornell's Cayuga's Waiters to The College of William and Mary's Gentlemen of the College. Sugar Ray have been on a U.S. tour since late April with label-mates matchbox twenty, which wraps up shortly in Virginia Beach, Virginia July 6th.

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