Corsica

The absence of a percussive anchor to Petru Guelfucci's pop version of traditional Corsican vocal music launches his operatic, thrown vocal style into the romantic ether without a tether. But aside from a single song, the famous Corsican polyphony is intermittent and used primarily as a dramatic device for thickening Guelfucci's beautiful solo voice. Still, this is pop mastery at its best, with nods to flamenco, Mideastern genres, and other styles. While the pop vocabulary shifts from song to song, Guelfucci's vocals stay the same, as if he's pining for a genre that does him justice. For a hint of what might have been, check out the full-blown Corsican polyphony on the traditional-based "I Detti Di U Ventu."