Music for Cougars

Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath still knows his way around an easeful melody and a laid-back groove. For his band’s first album in six years, he delivers the same radio-friendly melodies that made his group fixtures on contemporary hit radio. Harmonies glisten in the midday sun, guitars slide underneath the keyboards and beach party beats. It’s a version of Jimmy Buffett’s eternal vacation brought to the younger, rock-oriented crowd. Whether it’s the subtle hints of reggae found in “Girls Were Made To Love” or “Morning Sun” or the straight-ahead pop of “Last Days” or “Boardwalk,” McGrath and company cruise the strip as if the past ten years haven’t changed a thing. And in a sense they’re right. The band’s smooth delivery and love for uncomplicated, infectious tunes really knows no time limit. The additional auto-tune is the only update in the band’s sound, and the sentiment behind “When We Were Young” and the album’s title are admissions that time might be catching up to them — eventually.