The musical world is crawling with young countertenors hoping to inherit the crowns of and . , who, with , releases his second album, stands out from the crowd, and here, he has picked material that showcases his voice and style to maximum advantage. There are several attractive features to this album. Except for a few hits, the material is fresh, with compositions by (brother of , otherwise known as ) and , plus some not-overly-familiar arias. The orchestral work by the is exceptionally lively; the orchestra is directed by , better known as a recorder virtuoso and stepping into that role as well (hear 's "Sol da te, mio dolce amore," from ). However, the main attraction is himself. There are more powerful countertenors out there and more purely beautiful ones, but there are very few who offer a feeling of spontaneity that must have been part of the draw of and other castrati who sang this music in the first place. likes to open phrases on the no-vibrato edge, getting one's attention by extending it past where it is comfortable and then letting the voice bloom luxuriantly. He has a repertory of vocal flair, little yips and whoops that he adds to the notated line. He pays attention to the text, which quite a number of self-absorbed countertenors simply do not do, and he is plenty agile when he needs to be; sample 's "Nel profondo cieco mondo," also from , as descends into and rises out of the startling depths. He has picked material here that serves him ideally, and the results are compelling indeed, with an over-resonant church acoustic one of the few complaints. This is a countertenor to watch. ~ James Manheim