Raul Midon - "State of Mind"(EMI, 2005) * * *

A few days ago my mother was reading the latest People magazine and made a comment to me about a blind guitarist I should check out. Apparently there'd been a feature on a man from New Mexico who had a new album out, she told me. "Have you heard him?" she asks, and I just brush her off. "Sure, mom, whatever." And I went back to whatever I was doing at the time, without even asking her his name. I regretted ignoring her, however, when I accidentally found this album on Napster. Blindness may not be a prerequisite to be able to mine the well of such amazing r&b artists as Stevie Wonder, but the talent shown on State of Mind puts Ray Midon in exquisite company. His music is rich with evocative guitar and smooth sultry vocals, making him a true artistic find and a hitmaker's dream. Songs like "State of Mind" and "Everybody" are the perfect mix for fans of the genre who may be tired of hearing R. Kelly hyped as "modern" r&b. But I don't think he's striving for Kelly-like success. Rather, he's putting his unique musical vision out for us to hear, and if someone likes it, all the better for us. "I don't want to be rich, I just want to be happy," he sings. And I believe him.