When Jessica Lea Mayfield toured in support of With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, her live performance gave the notion that she was a timid, sheepish type of gal. Singing bare songs of melancholy, she shied away from looking directly at the crowd — sometimes wearing sunglasses in dimly lit venues to help the process. Even greeting supporters after her show, she seemed taken aback by the idea she had actual fans and that critical acclaim equated to real people loving her music. Her latest release reveals that life on the road may have cracked Mayfield’s shell, as if she finally saw all the positive feedback and realized she doesn’t have to always be the broken-hearted girl. Her debut album found her a victim of love, and at times religion. The sophomore follow-up Tell Me shows Mayfield fighting to heal the wounds and claim the strength of her identity.

The first single “Our Hearts Are Wrong” displays the Ohio songwriter in a new light, as it unveils a more up-tempo side. The simplistic structure of her previous work has been expanded to include a full band, equating to a fuller sound. She inserts her newly displayed confidence with lines like, “You’re intimidating as all hell, but I ain’t scared of you,” as the track gleefully bounces along a pop melody.

Elsewhere she dives further into twee and is garnished by the supporting cast. Her brother David Mayfield is responsible for some very upbeat moments on the album including the standout “Blue Skies Again,” with the struggling optimism found in the bridge’s lyrics, “It’s not easy to pretend,” and back up harmonious ooh-laa-la-la-la’s. The title song (also co-written by David) and “Grown Man” both utilize synths and drum machines, while “Nervous Lonely Night” is another more likely to get people dancing.

Not only is the twee pop avenue new for Jessica Lea Mayfield, but the same can also be said for producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. He again proves to be more adventurous when his name isn’t top billing, as he did on With Blasphemy and the Blakroc project. The pop songs are glaringly bright and when the album shifts back to alt-country ground, the sparse orchestration elevates Mayfield’s strengths. Auerbach provides outstanding guitar work on “Somewhere In Your Heart” that would normally outshine the main attraction, but Mayfield is not easily outdone.

Mayfield’s lyrics continue to focus on love and relationships, but now take the aggressor’s position. On “Grown Man” she sings, “The words you speak/ they sound so sweet/ I can’t let you fill my head with lies,” before declaring, “I don’t care how you feel about me.” She’s flipping the traditional power structure of the relationship. Seemingly our little country darling is the player and not the one being played. The ballad “Sometimes At Night” finds her breaking hearts and meeting up at roadside motels, while closing track “Sleepless” has Mayfield strumming an acoustic guitar and fighting against loneliness.

Mayfield comfortably bounces between her alt-country roots and a twee pop sound similar to the way Jenny Lewis has been able to do. Every song is strong, like True Grit strong. The only hiccup comes from some of the sequencing choices. The movement from upbeat pop tune to tearful ballad can be too much of a sudden shift at certain points, but there is not a moment on the album that will not have you rooting in her favor.

Everything that was charming about Jessica Lea Mayfield on her debut is still present. Her voice conveys strong emotion with very little effort, her lyrics are direct, and when she gets dark, she really gets dark. But the improvements are best displayed on the track “Run Myself Into the Ground.” The chorus of this song shows the songwriter at her strongest, and yet the most venerable at the same time. “But I ain’t gonna change for nobody at all… I don’t want to let this dark companion go,” she sings as if she has found comfort in despair. She has become master of her life even if that life is drenched in sadness. Tell Me is as personal as her previous work, equally as invigorating, and progressively stunning.