Sugar Ray have the "humble band" thing down pat. They named their last album 14:59 — as in 15 minutes of fame — and the back cover of their new one portrays them rocking an empty arena. But while they may downplay their abilities, the music on their fourth collection proves the band can do more than just make lightweight hits like "Fly" — their 1997 breakthrough single — and its 14:59 carbon copies, "Every Morning" and "Someday."

Sure, the band's recipe for hits — pour loping groove over skittering beat, let simmer three and a half minutes — is still in use on their latest "Fly" clone, "When It's Over" (RealAudio excerpt), but the rest of this new album sounds like the work of a different band. That's no coincidence, as most of it was done with a new producer, Don Gilmore (Eve 6, Lit). With his guidance, Sugar Ray actually sound like a band — a quality missing from most of their earlier work.

Suddenly, this is a unit that lives to rock. Take, for example, "Disasterpiece," in which guitarist Rodney Sheppard merrily cops Keith Richards while singer Mark McGrath does an eerie impression of the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson. Or songs such as "Answer the Phone" (RealAudio excerpt), "Sorry Now" and "Satellites," which cleverly marry Blink-182-style punk to Sugar Ray's mellow earnestness, aided by the workmanlike rhythm section of Stan Frazier (drums) and Murphy Karges (bass). The result is a new, muscular sound, although the price is that turntablist DJ Homicide is virtually absent on half the album.

It hardly matters, though, when Sugar Ray serve up songs like "Waiting" (RealAudio excerpt), a gorgeous bolt of yearning, sunset power-pop that comes complete with smart, self-referencing lyrics from McGrath ("There are days missing from my week again/ And there's not a cloud in the sky/ But my view from the Hollywood Roosevelt/ Makes me feel like I can't 'Fly'"). "Waiting" positively shimmers with the sound of a band that knows it's knocking one out of the park.

Conversely, the album's "Fly" derivatives, "When It's Over" and the mundane "Ours," drop the "band feel" and revert to the Sugar Ray of yore (the loping groove, the skittering beat, etc.). That's probably because they went back into the studio to record these two songs with David Kahne, who produced their previous hits. The result is a pair of generally likable but undistinguished tunes that quickly blur into the band's past ("Ours" even samples "Every Morning").

While you can't blame Sugar Ray for giving the public what it wants, it's a shame that they (or someone) didn't have enough confidence in what they achieved with Gilmore. The Kahne tracks aside, this album is a true step forward for a band that has sold millions of albums but still hasn't gotten much respect. With killer songs like "Waiting" and "Answer the Phone," Sugar Ray finally command that respect, and they do it the old-fashioned way: they earn it.