Sugar Ray

2012's Original Album Series offers five Sugar Ray albums from the peak of their career – 1995 to 2003 – for a budget price. Packaging is basic to save costs, with each album in a paper sleeve that replicates the artwork. Obviously, this is a singles band, but true Sugar Ray fans will be interested to in watching the evolution from the funk-metal of Lemonade and Brownies to the band's first big hit, "Fly," off of Floored. McGrath hit his stride as pop singer with 14:59 and Sugar Ray, which boasted most of the group's biggest songs, and In the Pursuit of Leisure is also worth having.

Four great blues harmonica players (James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite, and Sugar Ray Norcia) are featured in various combinations on this spirited disc, backed by a four-piece rhythm section (with guitarist Kid Bangham and pianist Anthony Geraci). Cotton and Norcia have solo pieces, seven numbers feature two harmonicas, and the lengthy low-down blues "Harp to Harp" has all four of the harmonica players taking turns soloing. Much of the material is jazz-oriented, including "The Hucklebuck," "TD's Boogie Woogie," and "Route 66," and the majority of the selections are instrumentals. Each of the harmonica players sounds inspired and the results are consistently exciting and swinging.

Severn Records announces a September 18 release date for Too Far from the Bar, the new album from Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, featuring Little Charlie Baty. Produced by Duke Robillard, who also adds his tasty guitar licks to four tracks on the new disc, Too Far from the Bar was recorded at Severn Sound Studio in Annapolis, Maryland, and boasts a value-packed 15 tracks, including a number of original songs penned by the band’s members, showcasing their songwriting abilities as one of the group’s many strengths. The core band for the recording sessions was comprised of Sugar Ray Norcia - vocals and harmonica; Charlie Baty – guitar; Anthony Geraci – piano; Michael Mudcat Ward – acoustic bass; and Neil Gouvin – drums.

Sugar Ray and its fans can thank Celebrity Big Brother for an assist in bringing about the group's first new album in 10 years. Frontman Mark McGrath was part of the 2018 CBS show, finishing third overall. For his introduction package producers wanted some footage of the singer working in the recording studio; So, McGrath, guitarist and co-founder Rodney Sheppard, drummer Dean Butterworth and producer Michael Lloyd hit the studio and began jamming on an idea that turned into the new song "Higher Tree." "We forgot they were even filming this piece for Big Brother," McGrath tells Billboard. "We ended up writing a song and recording it right then and there. It just came magically." It also put the wheels in motion for the Little Yachty album, which comes out July 26.