In Brief

** 1/2 The Smithereens, “A Date With the Smithereens,” RCA. The Smithereens (who headline a benefit concert Thursday at the Palace) are too rockin’ and pop-savvy to make a bad album, but after 11 years as a recording band, it’s apparent that ever-brooding singer Pat DiNizio and gang lack the expansiveness of style and imagination to make a great one. “Date” is another solid, enjoyable effort by smart-pop’s perpetual B students.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).