Raul Midon

Bio:The New Mexico-born, New York-based writer/vocalist/guitarist named Raul Midon burst onto the scene in 2005 with his audaciously original debut album, State of Mind, and he's followed it up with an even more memorable song cycle, one that substantiates the depth of his talent and the degree of his dedication. A World Within a World, the title of the new album (Manhattan Records, Sept. 25), might refer to the status of pop music within the culture as a whole; it could also describe the expansive interior realm that this single-minded artist, blind from birth, has created with his imagination.

The album's diversity is manifested with brio in the beguiling settings. The opening “Pick Somebody Up,” which could serve as Midón's credo, embeds a theme of uplifting social consciousness in an insinuating groove and the sort of lush, uptown soulfulness that distinguished the career-defining albums of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. The multitracked acappella piece “Ain't Happened Yet” references the the immediacy of street-corner doo-wop and the exuberance of the Beatles. “Save My Life” updates the silky '70s soul of the Stylistics and Delfonics, interpolated with the deep funk of the same period courtesy of Midón's wah-wah electric guitar part.

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, of the moment and suffused with history; it's personal yet universal, uncompromising yet inviting. 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.