There are two paths for singers. One can be trained "classically" and still choose the lyrical (less opera-y) path. The point of operatic/art song voices is the vibrato and that's not the point of lyric voices. The difference is the ability to "blend" with other voices. The more vibrato is involved, the more difficult it is to blend.

I don't know about you guys, but I used to do the local "everybody gets together and sings Handel's Messiah" events that happened around Christmas each year. I'm trained, but chose the lyrical path specifically because I want to be able to harmonize and blend, not stand out. It's a mish-mash in those "everybody sings" events and inevitably the over-vibratoed operay voices ruin the pitch of the group.

It's a taste thing, but it's also a "what kind of music is being sung" thing.