If you’re going to constantly be compared to other musicians, it could be a lot worse than Springsteen and Petty, especially if you’re New Jersey natives like Gaslight Anthem.  Skillfully combining Petty’s pop-hook mastery with the passionate, anthemic delivery of Springsteen is no easy task.  While these influences remain, the group’s fourth studio album, “Handwritten,” takes a turn from the Springsteen-esque, “everyman” perspective of 2007’s “Sink or Swim” and build on the more introspective life-and-love musings of front man, Brian Fallon.

While the songs may be more personal than ever, that doesn’t mean the sound is stripped down.  The band recruited legendary producer, Brendan O’Brien, best known for manufacturing pumped-up sounds and driving rhythm sections on albums by the likes of Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine and, of course, Springsteen himself.  Tracks like “45” and “Mae” are high points, sparkling with the magic reminiscent of the band’s breakthrough album, 2008’s “The ’59 Sound.”  But, unfortunately, those high points are few and far between on “Handwritten.”  While there are no complete lemons and you expect change to accompany growth, much of the album seems to meander in a world of mediocrity, trying to maintain or recapture glory rather than trying to reinvent it.