Frank, Frank, Frank --

you insist on creating a false dichotomy. It's not about "nice-sounding" vs. "belting" or "scratchy". You want vocally pleasing? So do I. Check out Eddi Reader or Muireann Nic Amblaoigh or Roisin Elsafty or a number of other female singers I could name working now in the traditional field. They have wonderful voices and loads of talent (as well as pleasant faces).

The difference is that these ladies aren't letting themselves be homogenized by the mass-appeal blender of glitzy TV production. They choose to stay closer to the trad music sound, thereby preserving a certain authenticity and continuity in relation to the tradition.

There really is a difference, and it's a difference of quality. One does not have to be a snob to perceive the difference.

Cheers,
Michael