Agepe (ne Antnio Gilson Porfrio (1942-1995) was a samba-pop singer whose heyday was in the 1970s and early '80s. He was a pleasant performer, with a nice straightforward sound that didsn't seem spoiled by icky production... Perhaps not the most evocative Brazilian performer, but certainly worth a spin. Here's a quick look at his work.
Agepe "Dose Dupla" (Warner/Chantacler, 1995)
This disc combines two albums by pop-samba singer Agepe, who passed away in 1995. The first album, Agepe, is from 1977 and the second, Moro Onde Nao Mora Niguem, is from 1975. Both are quite nice and mellow, a standard-issue mix of '70s style pagode samba, with gentle, swaying rhythms and sweet vocals backed by an insistently keening vocal chorus... Not the most stunning music from Brasil, but certainly not the worst. If you get a chance, this reissue is definitely worth checking out.
Agepe "Moro Onde Nao Mora Niguem" (Continental Records, 1975) (LP)
Agepe "Agepe" (Continental Records, 1977) (LP)
Agepe "Canto De Esperanca" (CBS, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Agepe & Jairo Pires)
Agepe "Tipo Exportacao" (Continental, 1978) (LP)
Agepe "Agepe" (CBS, 1979) (LP)
Agepe "Agepe" (CBS, 1981) (LP)
Agepe "Mistura Brasileira" (Som Livre, 1984) (LP)
A nice, poppy samba-cancao album -- not stunning or mystical, but nice. Pretty slick sound, but with a touch of forro and percussive samba as well. Apparently this album was a huge hit, selling over a million albums... one copy of which made it all the way to my local Record Hut!
Agepe "Agepe" (Som Livre, 1985) (LP)
Agepe "Agepe" (Som Livre, 1986)
Agepe "Agepe" (Polygram, 1987)
Agepe "Canto Pra Gente Cantar" (Polygram, 1988)
Agepe "Agepe" (Polygram, 1990)
Agepe "Cultura Popular" (Polygram, 1990)
Agepe "Me Leva" (Polygram, 1992)
Agepe "Feliz Da Vida" (Warner Music, 1994)
Agepe "Minha Historia" (Polygram, 1994)
Agepe "Serie Perolas" (Som Livre, 2000)
Agepe "Serie Sem Limite" (Universal, 2001)
A very nice 2-CD set which draws on material from several different labels, recorded between 1981-91. There's plenty of nice, lovely pagode samba, of the old-school style that evokes classic albums by Clara Nunes and Alcione... There are some overly-glossy pop production touches, but these are generally just mildly cheesy variety, rather than absolutely heinous, and are by far outweighed by the elegant, melodic moments. Sure, you could find more weighty music out there, but you wouldn't be unhappy picking this disc up... It's a very nice introduction to a nice, warm, modern samba star. Recommended!
Agepe "As Melhores" (Columbia, 2002)
Again, some lovely samba cancao pop, with bright, cheerful melodies and perky vocal choruses. Nice stuff; for prefab pop music, this stuff's a gas. I'm not sure when these tracks were recorded (the budget-line As Melhores series is strong musically, but skimpy on packaging), but whenever it was, the music is fine. It all starts to sound a lot a like, but it's still really fun. Recommended.
Agepe "Maxximum" (2007)
Agepe "Warner 30 Anos" (Warner, 2008)
Agepe "Nova Serie" (Warner, 2008)
