Naxos continues its L'homme armé series with Josquin's four-voice Mass composed around the 15th-century popular tune. This appealing work features an extraordinary triple canon in the final Agnus Dei--with a sound often compared to Philip Glass. The ever-inconsistent Oxford Camerata performs underwhelmingly--Summerly's slow tempos render some portions of the Mass tender, many others just sluggish. For example, at the end of the Credo, when the music goes from serene double-time into joyful triple-time, the change barely registers. The ubiquitous "Ave Maria" comes off better, if only because the singers must know it inside-out, but their performance of Vinders's beautiful lament sounds like sight-reading. For the Mass, the Tallis Scholars are worth the extra money; for well-performed-but-budget-priced polyphony, choose Summerly's superb Obrecht CD. --Matthew Westphal

• Dufay: Missa L'Homme Arme
• Machaut: La Messe De Nostre Dame; Songs from Le Voir Dit
• B000B6N67M
• Josquin: Motets & Chansons
• Requiem: Music for Philip II