Every Second Counts - Plain White T's

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Lacking inspiration
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Delilah
Disadvantages:	Quite a few average tracks

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Plain white Tee's

The band hails from Chicago in the US and formed way back in 1997. The band has already released 4 albums and this is the first album to chart in the US or UK Markets. This current album shot the band to the radio airways in the UK with the massive love song that was released last summer called hey there Delilah. The really interesting part of this story is that Delilah does not actually appear for the first time on the every second counts, but it was the record industry who asked the band to re-release it on the every second counts album. When it was re-released the band promoted the single all across the globe and the single reached number 1 in numerous countries, although surprisingly it only reached number 2 in the UK.

The bands current lineup is:

Tom Higgenson - Vocals
Dave Tirio - Guitar
Mike Retondo - Bass, Vocals
De'Mar Hamilton - Drums
Tim Lopez - Guitar Vocals

Track by track review

1)Hey there Delilah - The smash hit of last summer. I predict this song will be heard at numerous weddings over the next couple of years as it's a really sweet romantic song. Simply it's a song about how a guy will do anything to be with his girl because he wants to who has to cope with a long distance relationship. I have never done this before but its a 10/10 for me

2)Our time now - A complete change of song for this second track. A much more upbeat feel. Again it's a track with a romantic feel to it as it's a couples time now. Nice track but I don't like some of the backing singing so it loses one point 6/10

3)Come back to me - This song has the tempo right in the middle of the first 2 tracks on the album. This is sadly the first of a running theme on the album, although the song is decent it is also instantly forgettable. 7/10

4)Hate (I really don't like you) - This changes from the romantic theme in the album to when it alls goes wrong and the general feelings you get at the end of a relationship. Hate was the first single released by the band from this album but only reached 52 in the UK. One of the better tracks on the album 8/10

5)You and Me - A simple song, but a brilliant song. A nice guitar rift is accompanied by a evenly based drum beat. The song looks at why a couple make a good you and me by sharing the same interests, like music and the same sense of humour. Surely we could all learn from this simply idea, couldn't we? I really like this track. 9/10

6) Friends don't let friends dial drunk - A bit more of a rocky sound to the beginning of this track and (singers) voice is a bit more aggressive in this song. Sadly this one is rather forgettable 5/10

7) Making a memory - Another slow love ballard that is one of the stronger features of the band. This is still a lot more up tempo then Delilah though. "Friday nights such a beautiful night now your staying" - 7/10

8) So Damn Clever - Another nice, but sadly quite middle of the road track. It's a nice one to listen to but it is forgettable. It's about a girl who is to clever for her poor unsuspecting boyfriend and is just to clever for him. Again scoring an average 6/10

9)Tearing us apart - One of the stand out tracks of the album. Another nice intro to a fairly upbeat song. A guy has just had a conversation with his girl on the phone and they had a argument which ended their relationship. Downbeat but actually more upbeat. 8/10

10) Write you a song - The closest song to the smash hit of Delilah. Yet another love song where the guy will do anything for his partner but unfortunately he cant afford the general bling that we have come to expect. His only gift can be song. If only the band stuck to writing songs as good as these it would be an more simple album review! 9/10

11) Gimme a chance - On its own it's a good track, but it just doesn't quite feel right on the album following write you a song. A bit disappointing really. 6/10

12)Figure it out - possibly the most upbeat song on the album with a quite a high tempo which is maintained throughout the song. Again this one is quite a middle of the road song on the album. 7/10

13)Let me take you there - A nice way to finish the album listing. Singers voice really comes through strongly on this track. If this were to be played in a film it would be for a happy ending romantic comedy. I can already see that it will feature in this capacity. 8/10

14)Take me away - when you just think the album has finished one of the up tempo songs kicks off. Nice little extra from the band 7/10

Each of the tracks last for about 2:30 minutes which makes the album length aroud 35/40 minutes.

The bands website is located at and you can hear many of the tracks online to get a better idea of the songs, currently you can see the video for hate- http://www.plainwhitets.com/

If you have heard and liked Hey there Delilah make sure you hear the rest of the album before buying this as it is completely different. I bought the album on the strenght of Delilah but thankfully the rest of the album is the kind of music I listen to anyway. This was bought in the Virgin (or Zavvi or whatever it is called these days) for £8 last novemeber.

This is a nice middle of the road album and the band have been brought up with the more high tempo songs, but these are hard to distinguish from other American bands like Fall out boy and the All American rejects. Sadly the album has three of four truly memorable tracks like Delilah, Write you a song, Let me take you there and Hate but to many are just better then average songs. Be careful not to but this album simply on the basis of Delilah because, as I have shown above, many of the album tracks are written. This is still quite a good album though.