When singer-songwriter Patty Griffin was 16, she bought her first guitar for $50 and dreamed of someday striking the right notes with music lovers.

After nearly two decades of a lot of hard work and some hard times, this early investment is beginning to pay off for the Old Town native.

Griffin, 32, recently released her critically acclaimed debut album “Living With Ghosts” on A&M Records.

“People are buying it,” says the excited musician in a recent telephone interview from her Portland home.

Griffin is touring venues nationally to promote the album and her talent is not being overlooked. Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, and People magazine have all given kudos to the singer.

Griffin, however, admits that getting to this point in her career has not been easy.

“I went through a lot of stuff,” she says.

Griffin grew up in Old Town as the youngest of seven children and was strongly influenced by her mother, who sang as she did housework. Other musical influences included the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Rickie Lee Jones.

In her late teens, Griffin played a few gigs with a local band and performed advertising jingles in Bangor.

After graduating from Old Town High School, Griffin traveled some and lived in Florida for two years. She then moved to Boston in 1985, where she got married.

Griffin worked as a waitress instead of pursuing a musical career in Boston at that time, but she still dreamed of becoming a singer. When her marriage fell apart in 1992, Griffin decided to put all of her efforts into her musical goals.

“I felt like I was running out of time,” she says.

Griffin began performing in Boston coffeehouses and clubs as a solo act and a demo tape soon caught the attention of a scout for a major label. She landed a deal with A&M Records in 1994.

The musician says she was fortunate because a lot of record labels were signing new women acts at that time.

“I kind of jumped on that wave,” she says.

Griffin, in fact, has often been compared to alternative rock newcomer Alanis Morissette.

Although Griffin does not believe her work is lyrically similar to Morissette’s, she did say that anger is a common theme. Griffin says she believes many women in today’s world have a lot of pent-up anger.

Griffin’s 10-track debut album does certainly take listeners on an emotional ride. Relying only on an acoustic guitar and the strength of her own voice, the singer belts out some often gut-wrenching songs of love, heartache, and survival.

Two of the album’s highlights are the powerful “Every Little Bit” and the sensitive “Not Alone.” The cuts showcase the singer’s vocal range and songwriting talents.

In the catchy, blues-flavored “Time Will Do The Talking,” Griffin weathers some of the emotional storms expressed in her other songs and moves past them.

“Time will do the talking, years will do the walking. I’ll just find a comfy spot and wait it out,” she sings.

Time will tell what the future holds for the Maine native’s promising career, but the songstress says she plans to stay open to what’s out there.

“I think your life just keeps moving and evolving,” Griffin says.