TITLE: Brenguele
LABEL: Coqueiro Verde
Roge is a Rio-based singer, songwriter and guitarist working in the broad MPB (Brazilian popular music) category who’s making a serious attempt to get attention in the USA (he’s played at the last two editions of SXSW, for example). One of the key trends in MPB over the last few years has been a return to the 1970’s samba-soul sound popularized by Jorge Ben, Tim Maia (covered here on track 4) and others. Along with his peers Seu Jorge (co-author of three songs here) and Marcio Local, Roge is leading a novo-samba-soul charge. Roge’s sound is a bit mellower than that of his peers – for example, Roge takes “Ole Ole” (track 3) at a midtempo clip where Seu Jorge made it a call-and-response dancefloor filler on his excellent 2012 album Musicas Para Churrasco Vol. 1. But it isn’t background music that Roge is purveying here – it’s smooth but soulful in the 70’s manner of Tyrone Davis, Al Green or Curtis Mayfield. If you haven’t heard samba-soul yet, this is an excellent place to start – it’s a top-shelf example of the genre. And if you have, then here’s another fine contemporary album to add to that shelf.
TOP TRACKS: 3 4 7 8 11
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 1 2 6 9 10
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