To Fazendo Minha Parte

As the son of the late, great sambista Joao Nogueira, Diogo Nogueira could afford the odd luxury of starting up his career with a 2007 live greatest-hits CD/DVD, in which he paid tribute to his father's compositions and presented some of his own. His last name, good looks and charisma, endearing voice, and connections made finding an audience not all that hard. The real challenge was always going to be finding his own musical identity, a task that begins with his first proper studio album, To Fazendo a Minha Parte. It is, however, difficult to assess how much Nogueira succeeds in that respect. Produced, arranged, and led by the cavaquinho of Alceu Maia, this record is a 100 percent absolutely standard samba album -- upbeat, pleasing, and eminently well played, but hardly the revelation of a new major talent. Nogueira is an engaging singer and perfectly at ease with the genre, but the same can be said of any number of sambistas. He only co-wrote three of the album's 14 tracks, so his authorial impact is negligible. This, however, is nothing new with samba singers, as they usually rely on professional composers. To Fazendo a Minha Parte thus benefits from the talents of the likes of Arlindo Cruz, Almir Guineto, and Xande de Pilares, among others. The most eye-catching credit goes to "Sou Eu," penned by the two giants of Ivan Lins and Chico Buarque. Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be one of the album's strongest tracks, together with the bouncy "To Te Querendo." A few incursions into the more schmaltzy -- but hugely profitable -- pagode territory ("Amor Imperfeito") and odes to God ("Forca Maior") round up this thoroughly entertaining, if entirely predictable, collection. To Fazendo a Minha Parte won the 2010 Latin Grammy in the Best Samba/Pagode Album category. ~ Mariano Prunes