Few of us know what it takes to produce a musical album that speaks to the emotions and heart of the listener. It takes a dream, work and vision of what music needs to be.

For Bryan Laurier, 23, of Turner, the human, organic and honest element has motivated him to produce music he hopes will speak to listeners. The former Leavitt Area High School graduate recently used a big old barn to record his album, “Bryan Laurier, Bought and Sold.”

It was a natural location for “live tracking,” a system where there are none of the modern techniques of separate sessions for each part of the music,  separate recording rooms for each piece, he said.

“It is a process of studio tracking that has a human element … we chose to ‘live-track’ and look at each other while we played. We set up a studio (in the old barn), spent two to three days tracking, stayed up until 2 or 3 a.m., he said.

The rather eclectic group of musicians included members from Knoxville, Nashville, Indianapolis, Houston and Baltimore.

Introducing his colleagues to a Maine experience included a starlit night.

“They got the see the stars for the first time. With all the light pollution, they’d never seen that,” he said.

Laurier views himself as a vocalist and songwriter. Five years ago, composing songs occupied his time.

“I love having complete control over the melody and over every sentence and every word while recording,” he said. “I get to dig deeper into the songs and make it as good as possible for the public to hear.”

The lead song in his new album, “By Your Side,” “is a melodic, sad song,” he said. Most of his songs have “unique characters. I shape and sift through parts of me and my life, (using) daydreams and insights. It’s more fun than reality, an element of mystery. You can relate to the characters of my songs.”

It’s also hard work to choose those for the album.

“I wrote the songs over the last two years, 65 or 70 songs. In the summer of 2011, I narrowed it down to about 25 songs and I sent it out to the guys,” he said. “The songs follow each other. They move. They are stronger and they follow the previous one, with no fillers,” he said.

Laurier’s vision includes playing more live shows, festivals, new albums and a small music company label picking up his music and including it in television, movies and commercials.

Copy the Story Link