National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Medinsud is a project on the affinities between ethnic music from countries in the Mediterranean basin. The song of the muezzìn, which is also a prayer, blends well with the 'a distesa' singing of the fronnas and tammurriatas from the Campania region, which also have religious aspects (they are often sung as songs of devotion to the Virgin Mary); the Portuguese fado resembles the Neapolitan song for its emotional depth, melodic nature and harmonic sequences. The oud - or Arabic lute - is without a doubt the forerunner to all stringed instruments, but it's particularly close to plectrum instruments such as the mandolin and the mandoloncello which are used in both popular and classical Neapolitan music. The Portuguese guitar shares a similar sonority with the chitarra battente from Southern Italy, though it is a completely different instrument.

— CalabashMusic.com