(February 24, 2021) We’ve been following singer, songwriter and musician supreme Raul Midón since the earliest days of SoulTracks, and if there is one word we’d use to describe him, it is fearless. He has shown an eagerness to cross musical boundaries and, in the process, has only grown in gravitas over that period.
But in all those years, it has been a rare occurrence that he has issued a completely straight ahead R&B song, which is what he does so beautifully on his newest single, “¿Really Love?” This is a reimagined version of “Was It Ever Really Love?” from his critically acclaimed Don’t Hesitate album. And while the original recording was a gentle acoustic ballad with a Latin tinge, the new version is driven by a drum machine and decidedly 90s soul harmonies.
(February 24, 2021) We’ve been following singer, songwriter and musician supreme Raul Midón since the earliest days of SoulTracks, and if there is one word we’d use to describe him, it is fearless. He has shown an eagerness to cross musical boundaries and, in the process, has only grown in gravitas over that period.
But in all those years, it has been a rare occurrence that he has issued a completely straight ahead R&B song, which is what he does so beautifully on his newest single, “¿Really Love?” This is a reimagined version of “Was It Ever Really Love?” from his critically acclaimed Don’t Hesitate album. And while the original recording was a gentle acoustic ballad with a Latin tinge, the new version is driven by a drum machine and decidedly 90s soul harmonies.
That Midón takes one of his most memorable songs in such an unexpected direction – with a result that sounds this good – is a reminder that his musical instincts (and that fearlessness again) are usually dead on. This is one of a series of singles planned by Midón over the near future, even as he works on an album of guitar duos that we may hear later in 2021.
Take a listen to “¿Really Love?” below. You’ll be putting on repeat.
By Chris Rizik
Raul Midón - "¿Really Love?"