An Pluiméir Ceolmhar, how's about Fionula O'Siochru, Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, or good o'l Máire Brennan? They all have better voices, technically speaking! I also like Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhómhnaill, but not so much for the sound of their voices as for their choices of material and their arrangements. Maighread pushed her voice so much on her first album that there are tracks I won't listen to. It makes my throat ache!

I love Mairéad, too, though! When she nails a song it's fabulous, but sometimes she's on the bottom side of the pitch, and that's hard on my ear. I can't sing along when I listen to the last couple of verses of an Maighdean Mhara for that very reason. It's an itch I can't scratch, ya know, but I've learnt a bunch of songs from her. I listen to Altan all the time.

Oh well - enough rambling. Back to the grind!

ciarili