Thanks for all your answers, opinions and suggestions.

Let me first begin with Becky's comments...

**Blind Will, are you in North America? (It might help those answering your questions to know what your background of understanding might be).**

Yes, I'm Canadian.But the racial roots of my ancesters are a mix of English,Scottish,Irish,Norwegian,German and maybe some dutch.Musically I'm admitadely more from a rock and modern background than folk (which can easily make me feel like an outsider or odball misfit on mudcat).

Presently the Celtic or Celtic flavoured material of my own music selection is mostly limited to Enya, Loreena McKennitt and Kemper Crabb, along with a bit from others such as The Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus.(The last group is a group from England that is one of my favourites, who sometimes display a Celtic tinge).But I have also listened to other Celtic related sounds from either the radio or internet, including Gaelic Psalm singing and tunes that are said to be Celtic music from Spain and Scandanavia (including songs that are suppost to be traditional or reflecting a medieval type sound).I'm hoping to add some Gaelic Psalm singing to my selection, since I enjoy it's ethereal and middle eastern like qualitys.

I listened to your examples of traditional English music.The first four singers you mentioned were obviously unaccompanied solo singers (reflective of the ballad tradition).What I heard didn't sound particularily Celtic sounding to me, though I could hear something of a slightly Celtic quality at times.They have more of a raw way of singing.(It would be interesting to hear some classic unaccompanied solo singers of the Irish and Scottish tradition for a comparison).What I heard from the Waterson Carthy group often has more of what I recognise as that Celtic sound or influence, but not in a full blown way.They also varied in style.For instance their track "Let the Belgine Run" has a lead vocal sound that is very much like the traditional English ballad singer, while it's Celticish vocal harmonies remind me a bit of sacred harp singing (but more polished and probably influenced by popular music to a certain extent).Others like "Captain Kidd" or "Bright Phoebus" clearly draw upon "urban folk" and American influence.Thanks for helping to give me a better idea of this music.