Zé Miguel

Zé Miguel came out of Vale de Cambra in 1954, and his early music pulled from Portuguese folk traditions and the rock sounds that were coming through at the time. His 1981 single "Pérola Azulada" became a national hit, a ballad that stuck with people for its direct, unadorned feeling. That song isn't on his current top tracks list, but songs like "O Que o Destino Me Mandar" and "Solidão Urbana" show the same kind of plainspoken, personal writing that defined his work from the start.

He recorded steadily through the 80s and 90s, putting out albums like "Noites de Pouco Sono" and "O Deserto." His songs often dealt with solitude and reflection, as titles like "Sonho De Amor" and "Passageiro" suggest. He worked with a changing group of musicians, including guitarist José Maria Nóbrega, and occasionally collaborated with other Portuguese artists.

Later records, such as 2004's "A Casa do Mato," continued in a similar vein. The music never really chased trends; it stayed focused on melody and lyric. You can hear it in tracks like "Flor do Vale" and "Meninas Da Amazônia", simple arrangements built around his voice and guitar, more concerned with feeling than with polish.