Cabaret-glam rocker Ney Matogrosso was fey, feather-boa wearing male pop singer, and for a time in the early 1970s, Matogrosso pitched himself as sort of a Brazilian glam queen. In the late 1970s, Matogrosso was one of very few Brazilian entertainers to openly come out as gay, and despite intense social prejudices, he remained one of the country's most popular performers. He started his career as a psychedelic rock'n'roller, but later became more of a synth-pop artist, a style that was well-suited to his somewhat unique countertenor vocals. Matogrosso's work with the rock band Secos & Molhados was pretty cool, though, as are some of his earlier solo records. Here's a quick look at his work...
Secos & Molhados "Secos & Molhados" (MCA Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Joao Ricardo & Moracy Do Val)
Psychedelic glam-folk from Sao Paulo, with convincingly androgyne vocals by Ney Matogrosso. Vocally, he sounds a lot like Rita Lee, and I mean that it the best way... Os Mutantes fans should really get off on these records, which build on the same nutty rocknroll eclecticism. What else can I say? This is cool. Some of the best Brazilian rock I've heard yet, with sly wisps of acoustic folk, forro and space rock skillfully woven together. Along with Matogrosso, the band included guitarists Conrad Gerson and Joao Ricardo... and fellow pop-rockster Ze Rodrix was also in on the fun, playing piano and synthesizer (although he was not officially part of the band...) Highly recommended!
Secos & Molhados "Secos & Molhados" (Continental Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Joao Ricardo)
Another cool album from this groundbreaking band... Matogrosso continued on in the same vein for his first solo album...
Ney Matogrosso "Agua Do Ceu Passaro" (Continental Records, 1975) (LP)
Freaky Brazilian glam-tropicalia. This early solo album by Ney Matogrosso, formerly of the band Secos & Molhados, it a model of kookiness, eclecticism and theatricality. It opens with jungle sounds: toucans and monkeys straight out of a Tarzan movie; regional and indigenous Brazilian music is laced throughout the album, amid funky rock riffs and electrified cabaret songs. At the end of "Acucar Candy," Matogrosso moans and gasps through an aural-porn, in-studio orgasm that still sounds shocking and would put poor Yoko Ono to shame... There's actually a lot of good, provocative, engaging and inventive rock material on here; if you like weird, old, difficult Brazilian stuff but have only heard Matogrosso's later, disheartening pop albums, by all means check this record out. It's an oldie but a goodie.
Ney Matogrosso "Bandido" (Continental Records, 1976) (LP)
Ney Matogrosso "Pecado" (Continental Records, 1977) (LP)
Ney Matogrosso "Feitico" (Warner, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Mazola)
Lavish, bombastic, glitzy, tacky pop, half disco/half AOR, horrible yet strangely compelling. Tolerable enough that I was able to space out on it and get some work done while it was on, although every once in a while I'd look up and my cats would be glaring at me disapprovingly, like, "Seriously dude? this is what you're listening to? I'm going to go puke in your shoes now." It's pretty embarrassing music, but it has some intriguing elements - his incorporation of tango and other non-Brazilian latin American styles is kind of cool, I guess. I honestly couldn't imagine listening to it more than once, though. One highlight is the closing track, "Tic Tac Do Meu Coracao," a Carmen Miranda-y number that's kind of a hoot.
Ney Matogrosso "Seu Tipo" (Elektra Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Mazola)
This opens with a lounge-y, bluesy, big band-ish vibe, but branches out into different styles, such as the brisk, Andean-flavored "Ultimo Drama," and some folkish acoustic tunes. Sometimes he reminds me of Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges, with the same high-pitched, ethereal, falsetto vocal glide... It's not a sound I'm particularly fond of, but I will say that Matogrosso makes it more pleasant than others do. Irritating, yet seductive, like a lot of his stuff. Worth checking out.
Ney Matogrosso "Sujeito Estranho" (Warner, 1980) (LP)
Ney Matogrosso "Ney Matogrosso" (Ariola Records, 1981) (LP)
Ney Matogrosso "Mato Grosso" (Ariola Records, 1982) (LP)
Ney Matogrosso "Pois E" (Barclay Records, 1983)
Ney Matogrosso "Destino De Aventureiro" (Barclay Records, 1984)
Ney Matogrosso "Bugre" (Polygram Records, 1986)
Ney Matogrosso "Pescador De Perolas" (CBS Records, 1987)
Ney Matogrosso "Quem Nao Vive Tem Medo Da Morte" (CBS Records, 1988)
Ney Matogrosso "Ao Vivo" (CBS Records, 1989)
Ney Matogrosso & Rafael Rabello "A Flor De Pele" (Som Livre, 1990)
Ney Matogrosso "As Aparencias Enganam" (Polygram Records, 1993)
Ney Matogrosso "Estava Escrito" (Mercury-Polygram, 1994)
Ney Matogrosso "Um Brasileiro" (Polygram, 1996)
A tribute to MPB superstar Chico Buarque...
Ney Matogrosso "O Cair Da Tarde" (Polygram, 1997)
Ney Matogrosso "Olhas De Farol" (Polygram, 1999)
Ney Matogrosso "Vivo" (Universal, 1999)
Ney Matogrosso "Batuque" (Universal, 2001)
Ney Matogrosso "...Interpreta Cartola" (Universal, 2002)
Ney Matogrosso "Romantico" (Som Livre, 2002)
Ney Matogrosso & Pedro Luis E A Parade "Vagabundo" (Universal, 2004)
Ney Matogrosso & Pedro Luis E A Parade "Vagabundo Ao Vivo" (Universal, 2005)
Ney Matogrosso "Canto Em Qualquer Canto" (Universal, 2005)
Ney Matogrosso "Inclassificaveis" (2008)
Ney Matogrosso & Dan Nakagawa "Dan Nakagawa Convida Ney Matogrosso" (Colecao Canal Brasil, 2009)
Ney Matogrosso "Beijo Bandido" (EMI, 2009)
Ney Matogrosso "Beijo Bandido Ao Vivo" (EMI, 2010)
Ney Matogrosso & Marilia Bessy "Infernynho" (Canal Brasil, 2013)
Ney Matogrosso "Atento Aos Sinais" (Som Livre, 2013)
Ney Matogrosso "Atento Aos Sinais: Ao Vivo" (Som Livre, 2014)
Ney Matogrosso "Bloco Na Rua" (EMI, 2019)
Ney Matogrosso "Nu Com A Minha Musica" (Sony Music, 2021)
Ney Matogrosso & Hecto "Cancoes Para Um Novo Mundo" (Som Livre, 2025)
Ney Matogrosso "Sangue Latino" (Continental Records, 1982)
The title track was written by rocker Rita Lee, which is entirely appropriate since the casual listener would be hard pressed to tell the difference between her voice and Matogrosso's. Actually, this is one of his better albums, with kooky but uncluttered arrangements... It's playful and engaging; outlandish and a bit busy, perhaps, but still kind of fun. At least there aren't any big, crunching, bad rock riffs on here, just an odd and somewhat deft mix of pop, rock, fusion jazz and Latin American themes... Worth checking out; for what it's worth, this album is more engaging than a lot of stuff put out by several bigger Brazilian stars around the same time...
Ney Matogrosso "Personalidade" (Philips, 1987)
This best-of collection gives a pretty fair representation of his disco-tinged early-'80s work, which may be too mainstream for many, but it's not terrible. His tenure with the early 'Seventies glam-rock band Secos & Molhados was pretty cool, though.
Ney Matogrosso "Minha Historia" (Polygram Records, 1999)
Ney Matogrosso "Colecao Obras Primas" (Mercury/Polygram, 1995)
Buhllllllecch. This best-of collection covers several early-'80s albums, and some stuff done in 1993-94. It's all pretty uninspiring. Bland pop with tinkly keyboards that wouldn't be out of place on an evangelical Christian program, or a Toni Tennille solo album. Nothing I need to hear again.
Ney Matogrosso "Millennium" (Universal, 1999)
Ney Matogrosso "Serie Sem Limite" (Universal, 2002)
Ney Matogrosso "As Melhores" (Sony-BMG, 2004)
Ney Matogrosso "A Arte De Ney Matogrosso" (Universal-Mercury, 2005)
Rough going. Although there's a tinge of his rock'n'roll roots (on songs like the anthemic "America Do Sul," etc.), it doesn't take long for a cheesier pop-ballads style to dominate. And throughout it all, Matogrosso's thrilling, feminine voice pierces through... This is mostly made up of later work, from 1994-2003, although an old Secos & Molhados track or two are thrown in for good measure. Yucky, but representative of his work.
