Thiaguinho's pagode romântico may be the softest possible take on samba ever conceived. The singer/songwriter first picked up a guitar at 12, and his musical facility means he can pivot on a dime—hewing traditional one minute and romantic the next. Yes, you'll hear samba's stuttering rhythms and singing chords, but sometimes they get buried deep; this music is all about the singer and how he connects to the soft beating heart of a song. Even when the rhythms speed up, Thiaguinho croons with the elegant vocal elasticity of an R&B singer. And whenever he's singing, life is good.