Raul Midon

Only idiots hate it when their favorite musical discovery gets popular, especially when that artist does so by becoming more pop. Pop, of course, doesn’t mean bad. Thankfully, fans of singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Raul Midon don’t have to stress about that; he’s been steeped in universal appeal since Jump Street. His second album, last fall’s World Within a World, continues that all-embracing aesthetic by combining jazz with soul, folk with Latin, all of which is sprinkled with a poppy bounce you never feel guilty—or cheated—for enjoying. (He plays the mouth trumpet, for chrissakes!) It’s a sonic landscape designed by his influences, from Miles Davis to Paul Simon, but which follows Midon’s own blueprints and is as accessible as it is compatible with human experience. Dude may be blind, but he sees. With Courtney Jones. KEVIN CAPP

Listen to a sample of Raul Midon's "Peace On Earth."