The Smalltown Poets’ eponymous debut album is a pleasant collection of mature, latter-day jangle-pop, sounding like a cross between the Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket and the Rembrandts. Although the group hasn’t written anything as catchy as their idols’ big hits, Smalltown Poets, with its gentle acoustic guitars and harmonies, is an engaging record for fans of those groups. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine