# Little Yachty (album)

**Little Yachty** is an album by the American rock band [Sugar Ray](https://www.edgepedia.org/sugar-ray), released on July 26, 2019 by MARO, Inc. under exclusive license to [BMG Rights Management](https://www.edgepedia.org/bmg-rights-management) (US) LLC. It runs 11 songs in about 37 minutes. The title refers both to yacht rock, the commercially successful soft-rock genre, and to the rapper [Lil Yachty](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-yachty). The album closes with a cover of Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)".

| Key fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Artist | Sugar Ray (American rock band) |
| Release date | July 26, 2019<sup>[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/little-yachty-mw0003284693)</sup> |
| Label | BMG (MARO, Inc. under exclusive license)<sup>[1](https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-yachty/1463215451)</sup> |
| Length | 11 songs, 37 minutes<sup>[1](https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-yachty/1463215451)</sup> |
| Title reference | Yacht rock genre and rapper Lil Yachty<sup>[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/28/745657434/sugar-rays-mark-mcgrath-just-wants-to-have-fun)</sup> |
| Notable track | Cover of Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"<sup>[4](https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/sugar-ray-little-yachty-album-8514705/)</sup> |

## Origin

The album came about through an unlikely channel: studio footage recorded in 2018 for [Mark McGrath](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-mcgrath)'s introduction package on the television show *Celebrity Big Brother* led to a new Sugar Ray song.<sup>[4](https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/sugar-ray-little-yachty-album-8514705/)</sup> Producer Michael Lloyd sent the song to BMG, which wanted to sign Sugar Ray to a new record deal.<sup>[4](https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/sugar-ray-little-yachty-album-8514705/)</sup> NPR reported the same sequence, noting that BMG had heard the song recorded for the show and offered the band a deal.<sup>[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/28/745657434/sugar-rays-mark-mcgrath-just-wants-to-have-fun)</sup>

## Title and style

The title refers both to yacht rock, the commercially successful soft-rock genre, and to the rapper Lil Yachty.<sup>[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/28/745657434/sugar-rays-mark-mcgrath-just-wants-to-have-fun)</sup> Lil Yachty approved of it; McGrath told NPR that the rapper responded, "Oh my god, that's the greatest title ever. You guys are legends, I'd love to jam some time."<sup>[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/28/745657434/sugar-rays-mark-mcgrath-just-wants-to-have-fun)</sup> McGrath has said he grew up listening to yacht rock and considers Sugar Ray's 1990s hits to have had a beach feel and summery vibe for their time, so the band set out to make the most Sugar Ray-sounding record they could, which came to feel increasingly yacht rock as it came together.

The album continues the lighter sound the band has had since 1999's *14:59*. AllMusic classifies the album as Contemporary Pop/Rock and Rock & Roll.<sup>[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/little-yachty-mw0003284693)</sup>

## Songs

The album contains 11 tracks.<sup>[1](https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-yachty/1463215451)</sup> It closes with a cover of [Rupert Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/rupert-holmes)' "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)," a song Sugar Ray had been performing live for many years.<sup>[4](https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/sugar-ray-little-yachty-album-8514705/)</sup> "Make It Easy" was released as a single, with its guitar riff written primarily by Rodney Sheppard.<sup>[4](https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/sugar-ray-little-yachty-album-8514705/)</sup>

## Reception

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three and a half stars out of five, writing that down to the duo of McGrath and Sheppard, Sugar Ray rebranded themselves as a breezy pop group indebted to the smooth sounds of yacht rock, and that the pair resolutely refused to crank their amplifiers.

## References

1. [Little Yachty - Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-yachty/1463215451)
2. [Little Yachty - Sugar Ray | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/little-yachty-mw0003284693)
3. [Mark McGrath Helped Get Sugar Ray An Unexpected Record Deal - NPR](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/28/745657434/sugar-rays-mark-mcgrath-just-wants-to-have-fun)
4. [Sugar Ray Shares 'Little Yachty' Cover Art & Track List: Exclusive - Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/sugar-ray-little-yachty-album-8514705/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Indie and alternative albums › Studio albums of the 2010s*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license