Plain White T’s – Hey There Delilah

• 26th Aug 2007

Owing to relentless touring and a natural feel for the live environment, Illinois born outfit Plain White T’s production of albums has been slow and steady to say the least. It is difficult to believe that a band who have been maintaining a level of thoughtful, heart-laden, straight edge consistency for just shy of ten years are just releasing their 3rd album, ‘Every Seond Counts’. To mark this occasion, as a prelude to this full-length, they open out with winding subtlety and Tom Higgenson gives his vocals a dusky, laboured stroke. This stumbles over the creaking accompaniment of ‘Hey There Delilah’. It speaks of helplessness caused by long distance love and dream chasing;

“Hey there Delilah, I know times are getting hard but believe me one day I’ll pay the bills with this guitar. We’ll have it good,
we’ll have the life we knew we would.”

A bobbing acoustic accompaniment helps to promote a different side to Higgenson’s vocals and it allows him to adopt a lighter, duskier style than we have become accustomed to. This heart-tugging return adds a lighter touch to their foraging and mildly spiky back-catalogue.