All That We Needed

Album Review

Less punk than infectious power pop, Chicago's Plain White T's put a modern, airwave-affable stamp on that beloved strain of the rock & roll virus with All That We Needed. The jumpy title track launches the set with a nod to Tom Petty's "American Girl," but the hooks don't stop there. The band draws on Jimmy Eat World for the hit contender "Take Me Away," while tunes like the lovelorn "My Only One" and the punchy "Revenge" rock harder and feel more original. If the cowbell-heavy "What More Do You Want?" is as cheesy as it is alluring, the guilty pleasures continue with the "young horny guy on tour" missive "Sing My Best," which is just one of several songs that recall great lost bands like the Producers, the Ravyns, and the Romantics. The obligatory acoustic parting shot is also solid, evoking the spirit of Big Star's classic "Thirteen." ~ John D. Luerssen, Rovi