David Wilcox believes in the healing power of music.

That's why the Asheville, N.C.-based folk singer/songwriter said he wasn't surprised when his debut record for A&M Records was a sleeper hit, selling 100,000 copies.

"I was always able to imagine that this music could serve people well," he said. "It just felt like they were the kind of songs that, when people got a chance to hear them, they would remember them.

"It was songs that were really about things, songs that weren't just nice melodies but songs that spoke from the heart of an experience."

Audiences will get a taste of his musical medicine Thursday at Rhythm & Brews.

Wilcox has many ways to encourage an audience to connect with his mellow, soft-spoken songs.

He often sets up the back story to his work and performs "custom songs" written on the spot to help a random audience member deal with whatever is on his or her mind.

Wilcox said these compositions create a more intimate connection with the listener.

Music is not just an art form but a kind of spiritual conversation between the player and the ethereal, Wilcox said, observing that the connection is so profound that it's hard to convey with words alone.

"I'm thinking of music not just as a sound but as a way of being an interpreter between the soul and the mind or the heart and the mind," he said. "Then it can speak to us in ways that are surprising and can really change our lives.

"Sometimes, it's really powerful. It lets the communication kind of open up deep."

After three albums, Wilcox left A&M and went on to release 11 more albums, most recently last year with "Open Hand."

Whether under the umbrella of a major label or as an independent artist, Wilcox's goal is to make connections. The best way to do that is to write for an audience of one, even when it's not a custom song, Wilcox said.

"That keeps me honest," he said. "I imagine them hearing every word, and if I had a clever little rhyme, it would take away from the directness of the song. Each word has to be just right for them."