Natalie Merchant is one who pushes me to the brink. The way she does that jumping-off -the-cliff voice fade thing at the end of every line. It's like she approaches the notes, decides she can't be bothered to hit them, and then just fades away. Horrifying.

In the Oberst vein, too, is the Counting Crows' Adam Duritz. It's that "someone's shaking me by my lapels but I'm gonna keep on singing even though my voice is perpetually shaking and trembling; hopefully you'll confuse it with emotional expression" approach. I get so tense when I hear it.

Rufus Wainwright is indeed annoying. No one should be that accomplished, especially at that age.

I'm not sure who this Joannie Mitchell character is that I've heard bashed--it certainly can't be the magnificent Joni Mitchell. If she'd only recorded the "Blue" album, she'd be on my best of all time list. I'm curious to hear this "Joannie" though.

And as for Bob Dylan having one of the worst voices on the planet...I would kill to be able to pick just one from a slew of his vocal performances to have on my resume. Aside from Hendrix and The Byrds perhaps, it's funny how so few of his songs have been covered by others to better effect isn't it? The voice and the delivery fits the song. Don't tell me...he's a crap writer too?