Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/23/2008
After
"Hey There Delilah" turned the
Plain White T's into 2007's most unexpected success story, the band decamped to Malibu to dream up a proper follow-up. Arriving one year later,
Big Bad World is a refreshingly smart release that emphasizes the band's pop/rock leanings. Slower songs dot the set list, but the
Plain White T's never attempt to recreate the magic that fueled
"Hey There Delilah," focusing instead on slick, sunny songcraft with nary an acoustic guitar in sight. Perhaps fueled by his recent success, frontman
Tom Higgenson is in fine voice here, particularly when flanked by his bandmates' harmonies.
"Big Bad World" and
"Natural Disaster" introduce that tight vocal sound, while
"Sunlight" takes its cues from '70s soft rock, boasting a gauzy chorus that takes a page from
the Eagles' songbook. Most punk-pop musicians wouldn't be caught dead with an
Eagles tune on their iPods, but
Plain White T's have always prized pop above punk. Accordingly, pop forms the basis of
Big Bad World -- not acoustic balladry, as the success of
"Hey There Delilah" would suggest, and not emo-tinged punk, despite the many publications that categorize the band's music as such. Other groups traffic in similar circles, and bands like
Jimmy Eat World and
The Academy Is... (whose 2008 release,
Fast Times at Barrington High, arrived just several weeks before this album) arguably do it better. Still,
Big Bad World is a tidy, enjoyable release, and the
Plain White T's deserve points for remaining grounded after a meteoric year.
~Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
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