In the Pursuit of Leisure

Sugar Ray have their limitations. For starters, Mark McGrath can’t sing, a fact made apparent again and again by his tone-deaf bleating on their latest record. They’re also not very imaginative. Eighties synth licks and a lifeless version of Joe Jackson’s classic loser anthem “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” are what pass for novel ideas here, as the band sticks to the breezy, reggae-flavored pop they’ve favored since their breakthrough, “Fly.” Still, it’s kinda hard to root against guys who couldn’t really care less.