Thanks for the responses so far - they've definitely given me some food for thought..

I don't think i'd sing songs i particularly dislike purely because they're rarely heard, but i'm also aware that some of the "hackneyed" songs might appeal to me intitially because they are familiar, while there are almost certainly some real gems out there that i have never heard before, or are recorded in an arrangement that doesn't appeal to me which might lead me to overlook them. Also, i suppose if i were thinking like a professional folk singer, it wouldn't do to release an album of already well-known songs - i'm sure we're all looking for something new in our listening... Having said that, i agree with Bob that it's about making a song, any song, yours. That would be my ultimate goal (though i'm also a bit puristy in that i just like to sing and am not particularly good at or interested in fancy arrangements)

Thanks again..
Mx