In the Pursuit of Leisure
In the Pursuit of Leisure is the fifth studio album by American rock band Sugar Ray, released in 2003. Singer-songwriter Esthero and reggae singer Shaggy both make guest appearances.
| In the Pursuit of Leisure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 3, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002-2003 | |||
| Studio | Henson Studios, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Pop rock[1] | |||
| Length | 41:06 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | David Kahne | |||
| Sugar Ray chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
It features the single "Mr. Bartender (It's So Easy)", a song which includes samples from both Sweet's hit "Love Is Like Oxygen" and Midnight Star's hit "No Parking (On the Dance Floor)." That track was a success and reached the #20 spot on Billboard's Adult Top 40. A cover of Joe Jackson's new wave song "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" was released as the second single. It had similar success and reached the #29 spot on Billboard's Adult Top 40.[3]
Reception and sales
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic awarded it four out of five stars, calling it "another winning record by a band who has proven to be far more resilient than anybody could have guessed when 'Fly' flew to the top of the charts in 1997."[3]
The album only sold 135,000 copies, far less than the band's prior self-titled release, which had gone platinum.[6] The album's commercial failure led to a six-year gap in releasing their next album.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Note | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chasin' You Around" | 3:38 | |
| 2. | "Is She Really Going Out with Him?"" | Joe Jackson cover, from the album Look Sharp! | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Heaven" | 4:26 | |
| 4. | "Bring Me the Head of..." | 0:42 | |
| 5. | "Mr. Bartender (It's So Easy)" | 3:30 | |
| 6. | "Can't Start" | 3:42 | |
| 7. | "Photograph of You" | 3:48 | |
| 8. | "56 Hope Road" | 3:51 | |
| 9. | "Whatever We Are" | 3:41 | |
| 10. | "She's Different" | 3:30 | |
| 11. | "In Through the Doggie Door" | 3:09 | |
| 12. | "Blues from a Gun" | 3:25 |
Credits
Sugar Ray
- Sugar Ray ― songwriting (1, & 3-11)
- Mark McGrath – lead vocals
- Rodney Sheppard – guitar, backing vocals
- Murphy Karges – bass, backing vocals
- DJ Homicide – turntables, samples, programming; keyboards, backing vocals
- Stan Frazier – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional personnel
Songwriting on "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" |
Guest vocalists
|
References
- Greer, Jim (2003-06-06). "In the Pursuit of Leisure". Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- "In the Pursuit of Leisure Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- In the Pursuit of Leisure at AllMusic
- Greer, Jim (2003-06-06). "In the Pursuit of Leisure". Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Blashill, Pat (2003-05-20). "Sugar Ray: In The Pursuit of Leisure : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- Appleford, Steve (July 21, 2009). "Mark McGrath on the Ugly Truth About Sugar Ray (And Why Their New Album Still Rocks)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011.