Ben Folds is a busy man. He's been busy since the break-up of his power trio, Ben Folds Five, in 2000; first recording his solo debut, Rockin' the Suburbs, then touring, then releasing his Ben Folds Live disc. After that, there was more touring, and the recording and release of three EP's (Speed Graphic, Sunny 16 and Super D), plus a side project with Ben Kweller and Ben Lee, including a tour and another four-song EP (The Bens). Then, of course, there was co-writing and producing William Shatner's 2004 release Has Been. Plus he's taken up photography and helped his wife Frally raise their twin children, Louis and Gracie. And somewhere in between all this activity, Folds managed to record a second full-length solo effort, the recently released Songs for Silverman.

The new album shows Folds moving away from the keyboards, quirky drum loops and sound effects that gave Rockin' the Suburbs a sound that was unlike anything Ben Folds Five had released. Songs for Silverman was recorded by Folds and his new band, bassist Jared Reynolds and drummer Lindsay Jamieson. Folds has matured, crafting a stripped-down album that deals with issues honestly, free of much of the smart-ass smirking that helped define Ben Folds Five's sound in the mid to late 1990s. Folds sings about his children ("Gracie"), about the changing face of American society ("Jesusland"), about failed relationships ("Landed" and "Time") and about the loss of friend and fellow musician Elliott Smith ("Late"). Folds performs beautifully in the face of this new, self-imposed honesty, showing his ability to craft polished pop tunes that can get you singing and start you thinking.

In the midst of promoting the album and starting up a nationwide tour (including a show at the University of New Hampshire next Monday night), this busy man found some time to give me a call from his publicist's office.

So, how's the tour going?

Well, it's not a full tour yet. This is just sort of the intense promotion phase, where you do a lot of this sort of thing, and a lot of sitting around in TV stations. But, yeah, we're revving up and getting ready to go.

What brought about the decision to release the series of three EP's between Rockin' the Suburbs and Songs for Silverman?

I was really into the idea of making Internet-only releases, and I don't think anyone in their right mind would have let me do that with a full-length album. And they did really well; they sat at number one on the Billboard downloading charts for a while. But the other goal for me was to focus myself for the album. There was the challenge of having to write a lot of songs to get there, and I think the EP's worked really well. Also, though, the world's going that way, and I'd rather just get it over with.

Silverman has a very different sound from Rockin' the Suburbs. Are you trying to move away from the more ornamented style you were working with?

I always say that an album, for me, is not a direction; it's just a phase. With Rockin' the Suburbs, I was just itching to get back in the studio and kind of see what I could do. I'm cool with songs like "Rockin' the Suburbs" and "Song for the Dumped" (off of Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever, Amen). They're silly songs, and they have their place. But I always wanted to make an album that didn't rely on that. I didn't want anything sensational, just a confident record. A lot of my favorite records are like that; they have a real intensity, but it's nothing overly obvious.

It can be tough, though, because, nowadays, you've gotta have a fuckin' hook. I mean, you're a brand like McDonald's, and if people go into McDonald's and they don't see the clown, they're going to get pissed. So with this album, I had to ask myself, "Do I have the confidence to re-brand myself as the guy that just makes solid, thoughtful songs?" And the only time it gets scary is now, right when it comes out. I'm like, "Shit, they're not gonna see the clown, and they're gonna get pissed." But now that I've done this, I have the urge to switch it up on the next one. I tend to go back and forth. When I did Rockin' the Suburbs, I had just left Ben Folds Five, and I was kind of stretching out and seeing what I could do. Even though the new album is a three-piece thing, they're not songs I would have done with Ben Folds Five. So I'm still testing myself.

Now that you're touring with a band again, is your live show going to change? Can audiences still expect choral-style sing-alongs?

That whole sing-along thing just sort of happened on its own. People were already singing, and I just thought, "Well, if it's happening, we need to start conducting this, 'cause it could sound really good." Now it's become part of the experience and part of the songs. I mean, where else do you go to a concert and sing three-part harmony? I did a thing out in L.A. last week, and there was this bunch of drunks singing along. I thought, "Shit, if they can do it, then we've really got something." So that's not gonna change. Now the question is, though, do I try to keep that up and pick out songs from the new album that I can work that into, or do I just leave it alone and not think about it? I've decided not to think about it too much.

On songs like "All You Can Eat" (off of the Sunny 16 EP) and "Jesusland," it seems like you're taking more of a socially conscious or political stance than on a lot of your other work. Is it different than writing a more personal, narrative song?

Those songs are just personal reactions to things that are going on in the outside world. I don't think of them as political at all. I'm not trying to preach, 'cause I'm really in no position to preach; I just play piano. Everyone knows a musician's opinion of things, unless they're a country musician and they start talking about God or something. I'm not gonna be like, "All ye people gather round and listen to me," 'cause I'm just a piano player. It's really no different than "Battle of Who Could Care Less," (from Whatever and Ever, Amen) where I walked down the street, and I thought, "Man, everyone's tryin' to be cool." Now I walk down the street and I think to myself, "Man, this place is turning into Jesusland." So it's really the same thing.

You've written two songs about your children now; "Still Fighting It" (from Rockin' the Suburbs) and "Gracie." Has becoming a parent affected your songwriting?

I don't think parenthood has changed my songwriting at all. I mean, just because I include a song or two for my kids, that doesn't really affect the album. I mean, it's life, and it all moves on. People bring this up, though, "Oh, you're writing songs for your kids. That's so cute," and I always tell them, "It's not a kids' album." Y'know, this isn't a Raffi album. This album really has nothing to do with being a parent.

Ben Folds will be playing at UNH on Monday, May 9. Songs for Silverman is in stores now. Also, you can download Ben's cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" off of iTunes.