Upcoming Gigs

LIMITED INTERVIEWS A POSSIBILITY AROUND JULY 14TH AND 19TH DATES

Raul Midón – the Afro-Argentine, New Mexico-born singer-guitarist – burst onto the world stage in 2005 with the critically acclaimed album, State Of Mind. The album drew comparisons to Donny Hathaway and James Taylor as well as favourable comparisons to Stevie Wonder which went much further than noting that both he and Midón are blind. Indeed, it is a testament to Midón’s standing in the eyes of the musical community that State Of Mind featured a harmonica solo from Wonder himself and was produced by R&B legend Arif Mardin (who signed Midon on the spot after a private performance).

Following the release of State Of Mind, Midón went on to wow audiences across the globe with high profile support slots for artists as varied as Kanye West, Jamie Cullum, Randy Newman and Joe Jackson before embarking on headline tours of his own that have seen him play on three continents. New album A World Within a World builds on this success and reflects Midón’s expansive musical tastes and incredible versatility.

"The best pop is as important as any music. I mean, I love Paul Simon or James Taylor or Prince as much as I love Miles."

Articulate and knowledgeable as he is musically dexterous, the songs on A World Within a World represent a balance of thought and feeling, succeeding where many other artists try and fail. Opening track 'Pick Somebody Up' weds a theme of uplifting social consciousness to an insistent groove and the sort of lush, uptown soulfulness that distinguished the career defining albums of Marvin Gaye and, yes, Stevie Wonder. 'Ain't Happened Yet' references street corner doo-wop with its multitracked acapella vocals and also recalls the dense harmonies of Beatles tracks like 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'Because'.

“When I grew up, you had to go to the library to find out about something. The impact of the flow of information that we have today is impossible to overestimate – and what really fascinates me is… what do we choose to find out about?”

Midón may have a sound rooted in classic soul and pop, but his music is very much concerned with the contemporary social and political landscape. ‘All The Answers’ finds Midón penning what might be the first lyric that specifically references Googling while ‘The More That I Know’ is equal parts love song and message song. Indeed, references to the perilous world in which we live abound on A World Within a World. ‘Tembererana’ – which employs elements of Argentinean music – pits images of the threat of looming annihilation against the “power of creation”. ‘The More I Know’ concerns itself with the tougher metaphysical questions and closing track ‘Ghost Of War’ places the radical humanism of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ in an unsettling modern-day context.

“Like his father, Joe [Mardin] is a producer in the old sense of the word.”

The legendary Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Eric Clapton, Norah Jones) shared production duties on State Of Mind with his multi-instrumentalist son Joe. Mardin senior died in mid-2006, but this did not end Raul Midón’s association with the family, as he chose to work with Joe again when the time came to record the songs that would become A World Within a World.

The two of them tightened the musical focus on this album, with most tracks featuring Joe himself laying down the grooves and playing additional instruments behind Midón’s vocals and guitar parts. It was very much Midón’s and Joe’s vision that A World Within a World sound like an album and not just a collection of songs and this consistency in musical approach was one of the tools they used to achieve this.

“I got a few people accusing me of being naïve on the first album – I don’t think I’ll get that this time.”

A World Within a World is not your average pop album. Raul Midón has created the type of work that is only accessible to truly singular artists. It is an album that is at once audacious and accessible, of the moment and suffused with history, inviting the listener in without compromising the integrity of its sound or message. It is Midón’s resolute belief that the pop arena is where a singer and a song can have the biggest and most widespread impact. A World Within a World is the result of this belief and its songs are sure to speak to people across the globe.

Live dates:
July 14th North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam
July 19th iTunes session, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
July 28th Midlands Festival, Dublin