By Lindsay Christ

“The Glass Passenger,” the sophomore album from Jack’s Mannequin, is a strong follow-up to the popular “Everything in Transit.” Frontman Andrew McMahon continues to flourish as a pianist and infuses emotionally charged lyrics into the tracks to give them a genuine feel. While some songs are more cliché than others, most are able to portray accurate depictions of love, loss and survival that listeners will have no problem identifying with.

The not so subtle theme of the album seems to be survival. Shortly after recording “Everything In Transit,” McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia, and after a nearly fatal battle was able to come out in remission. Being that “The Glass Passenger” is the first album since his recovery, it is apparent that many of the tracks are written about the uncertain period of his life.

The chorus of the first single “The Resolution” contains the lyrics “Yeah I’m alive/But I don’t need a witness/To know that I’ve survived/I’m not looking for forgiveness.” In the first track of the album, “Crashin,” he croons, “And even if your voice comes back again/Maybe they’ll be no one listening/And even if I find the strength to stand/Doesn’t mean I won’t go missing,” where he expresses concern about the uncertainty of his musical future as well as his health.

It does not seem that this talented young artist will have to worry about no one listening. Nearly every song on the album is enjoyable, with catchy melodies and identifiable lyrics about life and love. The strongest tracks are “Crashin,” “The Resolution” and the smooth and melodic “Annie Use Your Telescope.” While “American Love” has fun guitar riffs and a great melody, the chorus of “Big hearts, big hearts, big hearts are for breaking” seems almost juvenile and out of place with the rest of the album.

Overall, most songs on the album show a definite musical maturity from the debut album while maintaining the same style that propelled Jack’s Mannequin to more than a side project three years ago.

4 Stars