IMO he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

He wasn't as mellifluous as many singers, true. But neither was Bob Dylan. Both are more songwriters and storytellers, with "singer" occupying a place somewhere lower on the ladder.   

Which is why a "stripped down" style probably worked best for both of them.

Slán,

~Fionn

www.geocities.com/children_of_lir