Editor's note: Plain White T's performs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pipeline Cafe. Here's a review of its 2005 CD.

CD: "All That We Needed" by Plain White T's

Released: Jan. 25, 2005

Style: Pop-punk/emo

My take: It's odd to think that one of the most defining hit singles of 2007 came out on a CD about two years earlier.

"Hey There, Delilah" by Plain White T's, perhaps radio's most mind-blisteringly overplayed song of last year, was also the closing track on its parent album, "All That We Needed." It follows the dozen fast-paced, pop-fused punk that seeped deeper into mainstream ever since the Dashboard Confessionals and Say Anythings of the world made their debuts.

In a genre that's been accused of releasing so many cookie-cutter acts, Plain White T's does more to fit the mold than break it. Strangers or even casual fans of this music would have a hard time immediately distinguishing between most songs here from those by The Ataris or Mae.

Not that "All That We Needed" isn't a solid offering of pop rock. There are several islands of greatness in an ocean of average-level rock. Though "My Only One" is the album's obligatory lovelorn tune, it's also surprisingly catchy and worth listening to repeatedly. "Sing My Best" is a tale of young men's fantasies about life on the road with tongue-firmly-in-cheek lyrics. The heavy use of a cowbell on "What More Do You Want?" is where the band cuts loose and shows off its sense of humor. Of course the polar opposite of that comes at the end with "Delilah." There's no humor there, really, just a simple acoustic riff, simple vocals and lyrics with "I could have written that" simplicity.

But what makes "Delilah," and many other songs here, so listenable, even appealing, is the heart. What the band lacks in songwriting and originality (for the time being, anyway), they make up for by pouring their hearts out through their instruments. "Exhibit A" is the title track, which also opens the CD.

It's a textbook example of the fast, earnest, sugar-coated love songs that drive any emo band's singles and success. Play this song with your eyes closed and up come the hallmark images of a pop-punk's music video: The close-up of a pretty girl with her hair blowing in the wind, band members playing their instruments on a boardwalk or half pipe, the innocent lip lock before the screen fades to black.

Plain White T's certainly isn't a bad band, but it's also nothing worth writing home about. It's hard to imagine this band being successful without Dashboard Confessional ushering in the emo movement several summers ago or lasting for more than a decade. The problem with bands that pander to the high school crowd is eventually your target market grows up, mends their angst-filled hearts, and moves on.

Unless the emo genre can find some way to give itself better shelf life, it'll be the bargain bin for these records in a couple years. But in the short run, Plain White T's and acts like them are having fun and providing honest, enjoyable and accessible music to youngsters looking for escape or a memorable summer soundtrack. And for now, that might be all anyone needs.

Jeremy Castillo, who has an associate of arts degree from Windward Community College, is a University of Idaho student.