I may have introduced an unwanted hare here (a bit like Jim Carroll's mention of the "gentile" voice above, grin) by speaking of the "head" voice. I wasn't trying to speak of the technique of singing (all that explanation that so annoys me about "column of air" and "sing from the stomach" which makes no sense). It's that breathy babyish voice that so many ne-ish women singers seem to have, and I am not concerned with HOW they make the noise, only WHY.

If the how is ignored then it can make sense to speak of the same soft tone-robbed sound (albeit in a lower pitch, usually) that some new-ish male singers seem to be adopting too. Also the issue of the "gear change" that women have but men don't (unless they are singing falsetto as well as in the usual male usual register) can probably be ignored.

Surely there are young women who do attack a song (I know some amateurs who do) but why are they not making it into the name bands, why are they not being recorded - mostly? (Obviously the Waterson/Carthy dynasty is above criticism in this respect)

Bah, one of the prime offenders has just come onto folkradio so I'd better go out!