Sugar Ray, one of the darling bands of the 1990s faded somewhat into the tropical horizon over the last decade.
But the band's reggae-infused, good-time pop, led by singer Mark McGrath and guitarist Rodney Sheppard, have returned to the forefront of pop with another CD, "Music for Cougars" and will play in Seattle, Friday night at the Showbox.
Sheppard was one of the founders of the band and he acknowledged the friendships within that have been established for two decades now have everything to do with the group's success and musical continuity.
"We had that chemistry, that solid foundation before we had a record deal," Sheppard said from his Los Angeles home. "We've been a band for years and years and friends before the band even formed."
Sugar Ray, huge fans of The Beatles, have trademark harmonies that established the band with hits such as "Every Morning" and "When It's Over." And now with new songs such as "Morning Sun," the tradition continues.
"Mark and I wrote that together too," Sheppard said. "That comes from our love of The Beatles. They set the template for vocal harmonies and if you get somewhere in the ballpark, that's a good thing."
