Varela Delivers Songs of Protest With Heart

There are few pop stars who are able to carry off social and political criticism in their music without sounding dogmatic and even downright whiny at times. Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela, who criticizes the effects of his country’s socialist politics on Cuba’s youth, may be the rare exception.

Varela’s performance on Saturday at LunaPark was an exercise in the art of eloquence and an illustration of the fact that the pathos of the human condition in the midst of any war--literal or ideological--can be as engaging and entertaining as the classic boy-meets-girl story.

The effect of the 34-year-old singer’s solo acoustic performance--his L.A.-area debut and part of his first U.S. tour--in the intimate club setting was mesmerizing. Freed from the sometimes overwhelming trappings of a full-fledged concert, Varela’s lush guitar strumming and occasional humorous asides during the hourlong set provided just the right accompaniment to his poetic, Bob Dylan-like explorations of disillusionment and loss.

Varela’s opening song, “Robinson,” an allegory about Robinson Crusoe’s isolation on his island, set the tone for the evening with its declaration that the personal is universal and that the Cuban experience is the human experience: “When Robinson opened his eyes / [He] saw that he was alone on an island . . . like you and me.”

There is a timeless quality to Varela’s scratchy voice, and the energy he unleashed during songs like “Como los Peces” (Like the Fish) and “Foto de Familia” (Family Photograph) brought tears to the eyes of many of his listeners.

Most of the audience--which consisted largely of members of L.A.’s Cuban expatriate community--seemed to know the words to his songs and sang along with abandon during most of the set, and Varela’s voice, charm and sincerity won over those who were experiencing his music for the first time.