By Matt Murray

Even since his days in Something Corporate, the aspect of Andrew McMahon’s writing that made him stand out from his peers was his incredible knack for writing unforgettable hooks.

This was displayed in flying colors on Jack’s Mannequin debut, “Everything in Transit,” and while their second album “The Glass Passenger,” released Tuesday, certainly has its share of catchy choruses, it just doesn’t quite seem to be up to par with its predecessor.

However, what “The Glass Passenger” lacks in hook-laced refrains it makes up for with its lyrical depth. This isn’t necessarily a surprise, seeing as McMahon (pianist and main singer/songwriter of Jack’s Mannequin) was diagnosed with Leukemia just after “Everything in Transit” had been completed. Using his struggles with the illness as new inspiration, the piano-driven anthems now feel as if they have more substance and diversity than the typical love and breakup songs that pervaded “Transit.”

The highlight of the album comes on its final song, “Caves,” a seven-minute ballad with two halves that contrast so strongly they could be separate songs all together. The first half sounds as though it came straight from a 40s noir film. It is when the song reaches its midway point that the rest of the band joins McMahon as the tempo picks up significantly and guitars power the song to its conclusion.

Overall, “The Glass Passenger” certainly is a worthy sophomore effort. However, while it did show significant lyrical improvement, Jack’s Mannequin didn’t play to the strengths they displayed in their debut release, which isn’t distracting enough to break the album, but it certainly was enough to bring it down.