Blind To Reality

CD Details

Review

“Blind to Reality is a socially and spiritually conscious album espousing optimism for the evolution of the world.” Rene Alvarez — Street Miami, October 2001

“Midon’s work contains irony, also intensity, stately order, beauty. His songs personify an individual voice, someone above the pack.” — The New Mexican, October 2001

“Raul Midon’s latest album is a blending of James Taylor’s Hourglass and Stevie Wonder’s Innervision.” Howard Cohen — The Miami Herald, October 2001

Product Description

Blind To Reality is a blending of jazz improvisation and pop songwriting. The record features an outstanding guest appearance by jazz flute player, Dave Valentin on “I Would Do Anything!” Another noteworthy appearance by legendary percussionist, Sammy Figueroa. Altough the record on the whole is optimistic, it is also tinged with irony as can be found in “Let’s All Go Down Together.” It is pop “out of the box” peppered with elements of jazz, salsa, rhythm and blues, gospel and even folk music. “I like to celebrate the possible,” says Midon, “the highest, the best of possibilities for human beings. Collectively, we create an enormously powerful force that can change the world and overcome any obstacle.” His original works “Everyday” and “Freedom” echo these sentiments and can be heard along with nine more standout originals on this new, self-produced CD “Blind To Reality.”

About the Artist

About to burst onto the national scene amid a flurry of “courting” by major labels, singer-songwriter guitarist Raul Midon is the “spiritually and socially conscious, optimistic” (Miami Herald) new voice for our times. His compelling lyrics and melodies are captivating audiences everywhere and filling them with a sense of hope and healing in a shaken post September 11th world.
Beating the odds and overcoming obstacles is something Midon knows about first hand. Born premature but healthy twins in rural New Mexico, he and brother Marco were blinded after being placed in incubators with high oxygen levels, destroying their retinas. Soon after they turned four, their mother died suddenly from an anyeurism. By age five, they were boarding students at a school for the blind where they distinguished themselves academically. An unknown benefactor enabled them to enroll in the prestigious Santa Fe Prep for high school, which necessitated a daily fifty mile drive each way from home by their devoted Dad. Despite the rigorous schedule, they graduated with honors. A perfect SAT score in English landed Raul in the University of Miami, graduating with honors and a degree in music and jazz guitar. His brother is now an engineer with NASA and Raul has been named Best Musician and Best Acoustic Performer consecutively in Miami’s “New Times.”
Midon has now emerged with his own group and original material as a sellout artist on Miami’s Pop scene after several years as the first call background vocalist for Enrique Iglesias, Christina Aguilara, Shakira, Alejandro Sans, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias and Jose Feliciano, among others. He has just returned from The Santa Fe Jazz & International Music Festival where his crossover solo performance was sold out two weeks in advance, playing to a ‘standing room only’ crowd bolstered by heavy rotation of his new CD with interviews on radio stations from Santa Fe to Albequerque. In early November he’ll accompany Latin turned Pop diva Shakira on background vocals, guitar and mandolin for a media blitz that will take him from New York to L.A. and include stints on Leno, Letterman, Rosie and MTV’s TRL.
Lately he can be found regularly at Miami’s newest ‘state of the art’ hot spot for live music, Billboard LIVE, where local press has covered every performance with rave reviews…”the most musical artist working the scene”…”music oozes out of every one of his pores”…”a mix between Seal and Stevie Wonder, amazingly melodic and fluid with songwriting that is solid and crafty” (Miami Herald). But not for long. The national spotlight beckons and Midon will answer the call, planning a move to New York before the end of the year to prepare for a series of national showcases on both coasts for top music industry execs. “Anything worth anything starts with an idea, an ‘invisible’ thing,” says Raul. “You build your universe with your ideas. Like I said, I like to celebrate the possible!”