Polo Montañez

Cuban singer Polo Montañez’s Guitarra Mía (official U.S. release date: July 29) is perfect listening for a Chico summer evening. Warm, festive, charming and lovely, it makes one sway to the beat and smile. Unfortunately, Polo Montañez (his childhood nickname, which means “Polo of the mountains” and by which he is more commonly known rather than his real name, Fernando Borrego Linares) was killed, along with his son, in a car accident late last year. We are lucky that he leaves Guitarra Mía for us to savor. The song “Flor Pálida” is so beautiful, with its plaintive violin and heart-stirring vocals, as to make it one that I will listen to over and over again.