Ellsworth songwriter goes deep on her third album

Four years ago, when Laurie Jones released her second album, “Better Days,” she and her band hit the road. They toured. And toured. And when they got done, they toured some more.

“We played our guts out,” said Jones, who is in her 30s. “I think the whole process taught us a lot, but we almost played too much. Too many shows. I started to forget how much I liked being a songwriter.”

She returned home to Ellsworth a year ago and sat through a nasty period of creative drought.

“I was so scared that that would be the end of my songwriting. I went a good six to eight months without writing anything,” she said. “But one day I had this song that

wouldn’t give up. I had to surrender to it. And then it all just happened.”

The songs that Jones wrote during that burst of inventiveness form the basis of her new album, a self-titled collection of raw, confessional folk-rock songs that Jones said she feels encapsulates her mind-set better than anything she’s written so far.

Jones’ slow-burning, deeply personal songs come to life on the album, a more stripped-down affair from “Better Days,” which she says was indebted more to bands like Blondie and Roxy Music. “Laurie Jones” features her road-tested backing band, and bears more in common with Ani DiFranco or early Joni Mitchell, with flashes of country and gospel throughout – though, as a self-proclaimed “rocker chick,” there’s an element of grit and punk rock that shines through, even on the acoustic tracks.

“I really stuck to my guns with this one. I wanted it to sound like what you’d hear in a live show. It’s what the band sounds like,” she said. “On my last album there was a lot of experimentation. Like Laurie Jones on steroids. This is just more organic. No synths. That’s why it’s self-titled, ’cause it’s just me.”

The cover art, done by Bangor area artist Robert Dowling, features a forlorn-looking wind-up doll, and Jones has no qualms letting people know that she identifies with the painting.

“I did an art show with [Dowling], and when I saw that painting I couldn’t stop looking at it,” she said. “Some people say it’s creepy, but it really spoke to me. We all get to that point, where we feel wound down. I don’t really feel that way anymore, though.”

Jones, a Lubec native who has lived in the Ellsworth region for five years, has managed to amass both a local and regional following while still living in rural Maine – which is no small feat, as any local musician can attest to.

“It’s pretty difficult as far as going out and playing live gigs. It’s not a good idea if you’re trying to make money, though that can be done,” she said. “But because of technology now, I’m able to live here and do what I do. I’m here at the end of the world and am able to write songs and put out CDs. Sometimes I think about moving to New York City or something, but I don’t see that really enhancing my songwriting.”

That brutal self-honesty is one of Jones’ trademarks.

“I wasn’t being honest with myself before. I didn’t know what kind of music I wanted to play,” she said. “With this album, I got a real sense of it. I’m really happy with it.”

Laurie Jones’ self-titled third album is now available at www.cdbaby.com. For information, visit www.lauriejones.org. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net. Check out her blog at www.community.bangordailynews.com.