Plain White Ts - All That We Neded

Every now and then, a new band comes along that takes pop to a new and exciting level with innovative interpretations and originality. This is not one of those times. The new record from Chicago’s Plain White T’s, All That We Needed, is a rehashing of Jimmy Eat World without the "oomph" really. It’s the kind of music that will probably get heavy rotation on MTV Hits – you know, that new channel aimed at younger fans, like 13 year olds? And to be honest, I can’t seriously imagine anyone over 17 really getting into this stuff. If there are such people, they’re probably no one I would want to date. Now, now, I’m not going to just sit here and badmouth the boys without any balance. They are giving it a good shot, and there are actually a few tracks that have something to them. For instance, I liked “Revenge,” a nice little driving pop/rock song that hits on a theme that never gets old really. And isn’t it always best served cold? So the bottom line is that there is some potential here, but my advice would be for these guys to regroup and work on finding their own sound. This one’s been done to death. [www.plainwhitets.com]