Lara Mixes an Imaginative Ethnic Blend

In the worst cases, ethnic musical blends are nothing but an easy way to hide musical limitations while taking up the banner of so-called world music. At LunaPark on Tuesday, Nil Lara showed the opposite side of the coin. This Miami-based singer-songwriter is the real thing.

Lara, whose major-label debut album will be released in March by Capitol Records, is one of those rare examples of a truly imaginative musical alchemist who can’t help revealing where he is from (he’s a Cuban American who spent part of his childhood in Venezuela) but never sounds predictable. His seductive tenor voice, which has been compared to those of Elton John and Van Morrison and often suggests African chanting, is only a fraction of his appeal.

Backed by a solid, three-piece band, Lara was a versatile groove-master who can rock with a Cuban tres or a Venezuelan cuatro (six- and four-string instruments, respectively), or use a distorted guitar to pluck a solo as if he were on top of a Cuban mountain. His right hand, capable of fierce strumming or sweet backups for his gutsy vocal phrasings, acts as another percussion instrument and shows his gift for rhythm.

After each of his trance-like songs, Lara stopped as if waking up from a dream, hardly ever speaking to the audience. But any talk would have been superfluous.