Hey Les, Good start...nothing attracts more attention than putting the word 'sex' in the title. lol Just hope people will respond to your question rather than poke at your seeming lack of PC for having the temerity to suggest response to timbre has anything to do with gender/age. I'm in agreement to your female friends, I much prefer Alison Krause as a fiddle player. I find her voice, slightly annoying in the same way a little Joan Baez goes a long way. Although I respect both artists, alot. However, Eva Cassidy never fails to move me from an inexplicable emotional place. I'm a big fan of Dougie MacClean, Christy Moore, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Dick Gaughan, Slim Whitman, Marty Robbins, Andy M. Stewart and yet they never move me to tears. There's a Welsh singer by the name of Sian James who touches me in much the same way as Eva, but has a completely different vocal style. Should be some interesting comments on the way.