New Mexico-born, New York-based writer/vocalist/guitarist Raul Midón brings a vibrant sound steeped in classic soul to the pop arena. Midón burst onto the scene in 2005 with his audaciously original debut album State of Mind, which included the summery single "Sunshine." While you can hear traces of Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and Jose Feliciano in his music, Midón is an extraordinary original whose passion is expressed in his indelible songs. "I like to celebrate the possible, the highest, the best of possibilities for human beings," says Midón, who has been blind since birth. The son of an African American mother and an Argentinean father, he continues, "It's easy to be pessimistic given the state of the world. But I'm inspired by people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi who had the ability to transform. Collectively we create an enormously powerful force that can change the world and overcome any obstacle."
This is not your average pop record - not by a long shot. With A World Within a World, Midón has fashioned an album that is at once audacious and accessible. The opening "Pick Somebody Up," which could serve as Midón's credo, embeds a theme of uplifting social consciousness in an insinuating groove with a lush, uptown soulfulness. "Save My Life" updates the silky '70s soul of the Stylistics and Delfonics, infusing it with the deep funk of the same period courtesy of Midón's wah-wah electric guitar part. Midón focuses on another era altogether in "All The Answers" as he celebrates the ease of access to a vast universe of information thanks to the Internet. This is that rare sort of pop album that could actually make a difference, and as such, it stands right alongside the pivotal works of the artists who inspired it.
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