Zeca Pagodinho's albums are fairly predictable, both in the favored types of genres, melodies, and subject matter that dominate his songs and in the overall excellence of the performances, arrangements, and choice of material. Accordingly, Vida da Minha Vida adds little to the recipe, but rarely disappoints. While to non-Brazilian ears there may be a certain sameness in this collection of sambas and pagode set to similar tempos and arrangements, Pagodinho covers a lot of ground with his choices, cherry-picking from the repertoire of the likes of Gilson de Souza, Ivone Lara, and Fagner, and introducing new compositions such as Monarco and Mauro Diniz's "Dolores e Suas Desilusões." Perhaps the overall mood is a little less upbeat than usual, chiefly in the first half of the album, with plenty of sad love songs such as the heartfelt "Vida da Minha Vida," "Hoje Eu Seu Que Te Amo," and "Desacerto." Soon enough, however, typical Pagodinho vignettes about his beloved everyday people and places (in particular the city of Rio de Janeiro) begin to emerge, such as the duets with samba queen Alcione in "Quem Passa Vai Parar" and with Nelson Sargento in "Encanto da Paisagem." The album closes on a high note with "O Garanhão," one of those amusing character portraits that Pagodinho is particularly fond of, this time an amusing warning to a wannabe playboy that is sure to become a hit by virtue of its appearance on the popular soap opera Passione.
© Mariano Prunes /TiVo