That voice represents solid hard-core talent, the kind you can't fake.

I disagree; it is a faked voice of the type we're hearing too far much of these days. If it wasn't for the special-needs chic, no one would have batted an eyelid.

do I detect a note of gleeful cynicism?

No note of gleeful cynicism, just utter & abject despair for the impeding fate of poor Susan Boyle and the ghoulish hype to which the whole country (and much of Mudcat) has fallen victim to. I'm not writing her epitaph - the journalists will have written that on the first day of the Boyle circus.