"Something in me kicked in and I just floored it," says the singer/harp slinger, referring to a brief, Beethoven-scored joy ride, that was the trip from his home to the recording studio in Santa Fe. "It was absolutely exhilarating. I felt free, because I was going to do something I loved, and just for me."

That something was a month-long recording session in the mountains of New Mexico. The self-titled debut (due out March 1,... more