Master of Styles explained

Master of Styles
Type:studio
Artist:The Urge
Cover:Urge_master.jpg
Released:April 21, 1998
Recorded:1998 at Sierra Sonic Studios
Length:42:40
Label:Immortal Records
Producer:GGGarth
Prev Title:Receiving the Gift of Flavor
Prev Year:1995
Next Title:Too Much Stereo
Next Year:2000

Master of Styles is a studio album by alternative rock band The Urge, released in 1998.[1] [2] The album produced three singles (“Jump Right In”, “Straight to Hell”, and “Closer”) and sold 250,000 copies. “Jump Right In” featured guest vocals by Nick Hexum of 311 and hit the #10 position on the Modern Rock list.[3]

Critical reception

The Washington Post wrote that "Urge seems to have a chameleonic talent for adapting to punk, ska, reggae, hip-hop and reggae trends without ever distinguishing itself."[4] MTV wrote that "any group that can throw funk, ska, pop and metal into the old mixmaster (accent on old) without any discernible recipe for making it all work to their commercial benefit is nothing if not adaptable."[5] CMJ New Music Monthly opined that the band "combines sounds from funk to punk to reggae, and it's successful thanks in large part to the one constant: the mellifluous, adaptable voice of Steve Ewing."[6]

Personnel

The Urge
Additional musicians
Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
US Billboard Heatseekers1[7]
US Billboard Billboard 200111[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Urge | Biography & History. AllMusic.
  2. Web site: Over 25 Years In, the Urge Continues to Sell Out St. Louis Venues. Melinda. Cooper. Riverfront Times.
  3. The Urge. Billboard.
  4. Web site: THE URGE. Mike. Joyce. May 22, 1998. www.washingtonpost.com.
  5. Web site: Urge Underkill. https://web.archive.org/web/20200810000029/http://www.mtv.com/news/1122301/urge-underkill/. dead. August 10, 2020. MTV News.
  6. Web site: Reviews. CMJ New Music Monthly. June 1, 1998. CMJ Network, Inc.. Google Books.
  7. The Urge. Billboard.
  8. The Urge. Billboard.