From picking up guitar at age eight to touring with Sir Ringo Starr, Van Morrison, and the late Jeff Beck, On My Own takes Laurence Jones back to where it all began. The British Blues Awards Hall of Famer returns to his roots, fusing classical guitar training with his passion for blues on his first-ever acoustic-only album.
Laurence Jones – On My Own
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Ben Roberts
The opener, One Life, kicks off with a suspenseful, bluesy (what!) riff set to a pulsating kick drum beat. Immediately, the sound refreshes me. There is space in the mix. This record rejects the major label desire to fill every empty space with sound. Here, there is only the kick drum, the acoustic, and Laurence. The guitar work is understated, just like the production, and already the record has the air of confident, modern blues.
Life I Made is a wonderful next step lyrically. It speaks from the same place as the previous track, only shifts the perspective from living our “One life” to the fullest, toward living the “Life I made”, warts and all. It is an upbeat tune, with multiple guitar parts that change throughout the song, each one slick and twanging.
The album’s namesake, On My Own, is a great song. On top of that, it reflects a milestone in Laurence’s career. This is the first release of Laurence’s own label, Ron Records, named in loving memory of his grandfather, Ronald Redcliffe.
The songwriting on this track is top-notch, with quality lyrics that dote on his love of the blues while denouncing the fortune and fame that come with it. It feels truly authentic and independent, through and through.
Inspired by Laurence’s struggles with Crohn’s Disease, Get Back Up is both hard-hitting and dangerously catchy. It could be the acapella section at the end of the song, which Laurence himself described as one of his favourite things to record, or it could be the quick, sliding guitar riff, but I constantly find myself humming this one.
Musically dynamic, lyrically vague, Ain’t Coming Back No More describes a negative cycle in a relationship and the need to leave. Laurence is a master at first verses and matching the emotions coming off the guitar in his lyrics. But on this track, the guitar takes up the reins when the lyrics start to become repetitive.
A low gravelly riff kicks off Change This Town, which carries on lyrically from the previous song, as Laurence talks about leaving, changing his ways, and finding something new. Only with this track, you can almost hear his boots scraping the dirt as he leaves this town. That is how good the instrumental is.
Gorgeous guitar tones surround Laurence’s vocal with a tight swinging rhythm on I Gave My Life To You. It is more of an introspective tune, talking now about a partner who keeps on moving on and leaving him behind. It is markedly personal and a reversal of what we have been hearing so far on the album of Laurence being the man on the road.
Laurence Jones is at his brilliant best when he shreds as he does on I’m Giving Up. The main riff moves quickly between the high and low strings, before a walk down on the high strings evolves into greater improvisation, which cannot be put into words (maybe notes). While the lyrical themes are much the same across the past three or four tunes, I do not care what he is saying if he is playing like this.
Do You Feel The Same opens with what sounds like a very light wah pedal to give a spacier sound to the guitar. Unlike the songs early in the album, this track lacks that empty space in terms of the production, but it is done purposefully, not to its detriment. It is different for sure, but light enough to maintain that traditional blues vibe.
You can feel the pockets of groove forming in Middle Of The Night, which plods along quietly but purposefully, with some tasteful acapella here and there. Then, the final track, Beautiful. The guitar is quick and cheerful like springtime, and Laurence closes an album of distance and struggle with the refrain “You’re beautiful.” It is a cathartic end to the album emotionally, and is a standout track for its unabashedly bright and skilful guitar work.
I admire the decision of Laurence Jones to put out an acoustic-only album. It is vulnerable, but in the end, the stripped-back nature of the project lets his unique talents shine through, something I am sure fans and critics alike will be overjoyed with.
Laurence will take On My Own on the road with his Solo Tour 2026. Tickets and album details can be found at LaurenceJonesMusic.com.
