This track is outside our typical comfort zone for pop tracks, but the musicianship is just so great, that I think it's worth sharing. As a multi-instrumentalist, I always enjoy a solid traditional groove, and "Mentira" draws liberally from the Afro Cuban traditions and diverse musical heritage of Panama and Latin America, incorporating a horn arrangement, acoustic drums, congas, timbales, and other layers of live percussion. With other influences that include western jazz, and a flowing melodic sensibility that pairs well with the world-class rhythm section, "Mentira" delivers a true powerhouse of visceral experience. It is such a beautiful coordination of intricate artistry that it stands as a testament to the power of live music and calculated improvisation.

Although at first this song feels adjacent to a sort of new age R&B feeling, "Mentira" soon descends into the kind of delicious harmonic madness that you would expect from a jazz subsidiary: pitting an aggressive, yet tender vocal delivery against a series of rhythmic syncopations that would make James Brown proud.

Richard González is a talented Panamanian singer-songwriter and entrepreneur, born in Bocas del Toro.

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