Blind Singer-Songwriter Guitarist Raul Mid贸n is nothing if not prolific. His 14th and latest album,聽Lost & Found聽is a blend of what he calls 鈥渟mooth folk,鈥 鈥渁lt-pop鈥 and 鈥渏azz.鈥 A master at combining genres, 鈥渉is music suggests a three way fusion of Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerrin and Jos茅 Feliciano,鈥 New York Times. Mid贸n recently debuted the album鈥檚 first single, the uplifting bluesy pop song Keep On Keeping On on the The Jennifer Hudson Show (December 2023).
Joining him on this body of work are his friends, industry veterans, Andres Forero (Hamilton, Phish, U2) Drums & Percussion, Richard Hammond (Hamilton) bass, Federico Pena (Black Lives) keyboards & piano. The anthemic Next Time, a 鈥済alloping rock waltz鈥 is a co-write with New York fixture Mike Errico, who plays on it as well. String arrangements were provided by Andrew Sherman.
Lost & Found, the album鈥檚 moniker which Mid贸n calls 鈥渟mooth folk鈥 or folk with harmonic surprises is a celebration of redemption. The lyrics were inspired by his listening to Bob Dylan鈥檚 reading of his poem, Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie.
When We Remember is a country-tinged song that includes a stint of Raul playing banjo. He might have reached out to Bela Fleck but he鈥檚 held his own here and he does it from the comfort of his basement studio. To do this Mid贸n has had to learn the art of engineering. The technology for the blind is not consistent and it鈥檚 a constant struggle, one he continues to confront on a daily basis. He鈥檚 been assisted here by New York recording engineer, Michael O鈥橰eilly, whom he met while making his major label debut State of Mind under the careful eye of legendary producer, Arif Mardin. Raul has worked with 鈥淢ike鈥 extensively on many albums since those early days including the Grammy Nominated Bad Ass and Blind.
A Condition of Love co-written with Ethiopian R&B artist Wayna is a smoldering philosophical love song. The Ganga Song is a bouncy ska-ish take on the latest cannabis craze.
This compilation of ten original songs was released in April 2024. Physical copies, both cd and vinyl, are available worldwide at indie stores, Amazon.com, and FNAC in Europe.
This marks Mid贸n鈥檚 2nd album released on his own imprint ReKondite ReKords (ReKo ReKo).
Eclectic Adventurist聽was his first, released in November 2022. During the lockdown Raul fulfilled a long-time dream of recording a guitar duets album with some of his favorite guitarists including Lionel Loueke, Romero Lubambo & Mike Stern. From popular Letterman bass guitarist Will Lee, 鈥淓clectic Adventurist is a great surprise at every turn- a beautifully performed, meticulously-recorded collection of gorgeous interplayfulness.鈥 Eclectic Adventurist is now available in vinyl and cd wherever music is sold in the U.S. & physical copies will be released in Europe in 2025 via L鈥橝utre Distribution.
He has worked with countless legends in the industry including Bill Withers, Herbie Hancock, & Sting. In 2022 he paid tribute to Joni Mitchell with the National Symphony Orchestra arranged and conducted by Vince Mendoza at The Kennedy Center alongside Lalah Hathaway, Jimmie Herrod & Renee Fleming (PBS Next at the Kennedy Center). He received two Grammy nominations back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 for his albums Bad Ass and Blind and If You Really Want in the Best Jazz Vocal Category. In 2019 he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, University of Miami. In 2021 he was given the Disability Rights Ambassador of the Year award, presented to him by his colleague Jason Mraz.
This event is funded, in part, by the Ocean County College Foundation.
