AMG Review of Stop

Jason D. Taylor
All Music Guide

Plain White T's' debut album, Stop, follows in the footsteps of Jimmy Eat World's sudden success in 2002, and evidently these four young men read up on their history. Stop is rather generic, although it does provide several enjoyable songs, such as "Please Don't Do This," in which vocalist Tom Higgenson pleads for his girlfriend to admit her cheating ways, and the breezy "Shine." Plain White T's' largest obstacle is its sounding like emo figureheads Dashboard Confessional and the aforementioned Jimmy Eat World, and in its desperation to emulate these groups it forgets to also inject its songs with a noticeable style of its own. As of such, Stop is simply a forgettable release overshadowed by its peers in the emo/rock scene.