Master of Styles

Master of Styles is a studio album by alternative rock band The Urge, released in 1998.^[3][4] 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.^[1][5]

Master of Styles
Studio album by The Urge
Released	April 21, 1998
Recorded	1998 at Sierra Sonic Studios
Genre	Alternative rock ska reggae alternative metal
Length	42:40
Label	Immortal Records
Producer	GGGarth[1]
The Urge chronology
Receiving the Gift of Flavor (1995) Master of Styles (1998) Too Much Stereo (2000)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[1]

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."^[6] 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."^[7] 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."^[8]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"If I Were You"		3:52
2.	"Straight to Hell"		3:15
3.	"Jump Right In" (ft. Nick Hexum)	The Urge, N. Hexum	3:43
4.	"S.L.O.B."	S. Ewing, K. Grable, J. Pessoni	2:48
5.	"Played Out"		3:39
6.	"Closer"	K. Grable, J. Jost, T. Painter, J. Pessoni	3:49
7.	"Gene Machine" (Bad Brains Cover)	P. Hudson, D. Jenifer	3:03
8.	"My Apology"	S. Ewing, K. Grable, J. Jost, M. Kwiatkowski, T. Painter, J. Pessoni	3:24
9.	"Divide and Conquer"	The Urge	4:43
10.	"Identity Crisis"		2:42
11.	"Going Down"		3:24
12.	"Prayer for Rain"	S. Ewing, K. Grable, J. Jost, M. Kwiatkowski, T. Painter, J. Pessoni	4:15
Total length:			42:40

All tracks are written by Steve Ewing, Karl Grable, Jerry Jost, Todd Painter, and John Pessoni, except where noted

Personnel

The Urge Steve Ewing - vocals Karl Grable - bass, concept Jerry Jost - guitars John Pessoni - drums, background vocals Bill Reiter - saxophone Matt Kwiatkowski - trombone Todd Painter - trombone, keyboard Additional musicians Nick Hexum - vocals in "Jump Right In"

Additional personnel Mike Dillon - percussion Doug Erb - art direction GGGarth - engineer, producer Mr. Colson - engineer Tom Gordon - assistant engineer Steve Hupaylo - unknown contributor Michael Lavine - photography Bob Ludwig - mastering Luke Partridge - design Joe Gastwirt- Mastering on Jump right in. Randy Staub - mixing Joe Varkey - assistant engineer Gary Winger - mixing assistant

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
US Billboard Heatseekers	1[9]
US Billboard Billboard 200	111[10]

References

1. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1182.
2. "Master of Styles - The Urge | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
3. "The Urge | Biography & History". AllMusic.
4. Cooper, Melinda. "Over 25 Years In, the Urge Continues to Sell Out St. Louis Venues". Riverfront Times.
5. "The Urge". Billboard.
6. Joyce, Mike (May 22, 1998). "THE URGE" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
7. "Urge Underkill". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020.
8. "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. June 1, 1998 – via Google Books.
9. "The Urge". Billboard.
10. "The Urge". Billboard.