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RAUL MIDON A World within a World (Manhattan/EMI) |
 THERE are so many bland R&B albums that it's tempting to go overboard every time a rare work of substance makes its way into my hands. That's why I made sure to take my time and absorb this album to see if it had any staying power, and let me tell you ... it's excellent. Midon purveys a brand of classic soul that is rooted more in the Philly sound of the 1970s than the Motown pop of the 1960s (both schools, incidentally, being leagues ahead of a lot of modern tripe). From the moment Pick Somebody Up kicks into action, with lyrics like "revolution's no solution to the tragedy of man", us listeners are in for a tasty ride. His silky ballad All the Answers is so sweet, and the man reaches spectacular heights when he does all the vocals on the a cappella Ain't Happened Yet. I kept waiting to be let down, but thankfully the moment never materialised. While it's true that there are only so many arrows one can pack into a quiver of soul, Midon never once came close to boring me. In fact, I'm off to track down his previous albums Blind to Reality and State of Mind because I can't get enough of this guy's music right now. |
