Plain White T's, 'Big Bad World'

Backstory: Repeat after me: “Hey There Delilah.” This Chicago band scored an unlikely, across-the-board smash hit with that acoustic ballad, which was slightly at odds with the band’s power-pop/punk sound. On their second major label album, the group slightly alters their focus, seemingly aiming for a new audience.
 
Why you should care: Because you love ‘60s pop? Despite a couple of (above-average) acoustic numbers à la “Delilah,” the T’s spend most of “Big Bad World” recreating the orchestral pop of “Sgt. Pepper”–era Beatles and the sunny, California harmonies of the Beach Boys. One minor exception: the peppy, seemingly innocent “That Girl” gets a little rowdy with its out-of-nowhere double entendre (“that girl made me come inside”).
 
Verdict: Breezy, friendly, yet utterly disposable pop-rock.
 
X-Factor: How inoffensive is PWT, outside of that one “come inside” song? They’re currently the featured band and contest prize (sing with PWT!) at Milk Rocks! (milkrocks.com), a milk industry ad site that markets dairy products to kids via branded milk cartons.

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