It's hard to believe that Phil Brown is not famous for his laugh alone, a full-bodied laugh just a little too high pitched to be a belly laugh. It is impossible to hear it without knowing it is a genuine expression of inner joy.
When Brown's fingers meet guitar strings, however, everybody stops to listen. Then it becomes obvious why the music industry knows his name.
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And he's doing it in Rio Rancho. Brown said he came to record in the City of Vision to work with a talented local engineer, Mark Jeangerard.
After making a career as a songwriter and guitarist, Brown, 52, has begun to work on his own projects. His first album, "Cruel Intentions," was a hit in Europe and is now available in the United States. His second, "The Jimi Project," an album of retooled Jimi Hendrix songs, has begun to find a following.
The current project, tentatively titled "Imagine This," is his most ambitious yet.
"It's bigger than me," Brown said. "I feel like I'm producing someone else."
Those sentiments were echoed by Jeangerard, 44. Now in the mixing stage of the album, he said it is the best project of which he's ever been a part. "And there's some good projects behind that," he added.
In fact, Jeangerard is the reason Brown is in Rio Rancho. Having heard some of the work the engineer had done, Brown said he was excited to pair with Jeangerard.
Jeangerard, on the other hand, said his reasons for getting involved were "plain and simple."
"I heard the music," he said. "It knocked me out of my chair."
Brown said he drew on his own history, along with the stories of others, to construct this album, which focuses on merging the past, present and future. The song "Good to Be Back," one of the songs that Brown said defined the album, is about being happy with who you have become.
Part of that process, Brown said, is learning to recognize your purpose.
"We're all being used for some kind of goodness," he said.
As a whole, the album talks about the agony of loss and the joy of gain. It is that story, Brown said, that drives the album.
During the recording of the album, Brown has been dealing with personal tragedy. His brother died of cancer Wednesday, but the two had already said their goodbyes, paraphrasing the Hendrix song "Voodoo Child."
"I'll meet you in the next world," Brown told his brother. "Don't be late," was the response.
Before his brother passed away, Brown had begun to make peace with it.
"By the time this (album) comes out, my brother will be gone, but he's a part of this album," Brown said Wednesday, before his brother passed.
It is experiences such as this that are reflected in Brown's work.
Musically, Brown drew some of the best talent from New Mexico (Mark Clark on drums, Vernon Pete Williams on bass, and three background singers came from Santa Fe) and the world to compose the music.
Mark T. Jordon came the furthest to be part of the album. On a break from a tour in London as pianist for Van Morrison, Jordon flew to Rio Rancho to lend his talents.
At times, the collaboration of various artists built the songs up more than Brown imagined, making him step back and let the music go where it wanted.
"People show up, and there's magic, and you learn to stay out of the way," he said.
Jeangerard said the quality of talent was no accident.
"Phil (Brown) speaks a language that's very sophisticated musically," he said.
At times, throughout the recording process, Brown seemed truly moved by the music he was creating. His laugh rang the loudest when listening back to the playback as he drank in the combinations of guitar, drums, keyboard and vocals. Often, he would dance. More frequently, he would shout a bright, ringing yell. And rarely did a playback finish without Brown crying, "Yeah baby!"
"I'm always surprised that something comes out of me," he said. "I don't take it for granted."
Brown plans to release the finished album in February. He will be playing at the Uptown Bar and Grill in Albuquerque on Dec. 9 at 9 p.m.
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