Raul Midón

A World Within a World, the title of Raul Midón's new album might refer to the status of pop music within the culture as a whole, or expansive imagination of this single-minded artist. Midon's sound evokes the soulfulness of Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers, but still retains a completely original feel, the byproduct of his upbringing in New Mexico, New York, and Miami. "There isn't that much originality in pop these days, because everybody is trying to sound like what they think might fit into the narrow formats on radio," Midón notes. "But the best pop is as important as much as any music. I mean, I love Paul Simon or James Taylor or Prince as much as I love Miles." With A World Within a World, Midón is staking his claim to his own unique piece of the pop pie.