"the most important thing you can do is LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN" (Tootler, BACK from holiday?)...why don't you READ READ READ what I posted just before this comment, e.g.
Stu - I don't know of any "Fork Lift (Advanced)" but I did achieve an Advanced Cert. in Manufacturing Technology."
'I take a dim view of someone who adopts an accent or manner of speaking more or less permanently in an effort to create the impression that they are something they are not, such as the urban-born singer of folk songs who consciously "roughs up" the sound of an otherwise fairly smooth singing voice in order to sound "folkie." There are quite a number of those people running around (including a few quite well known singers), and the word that springs to mind is "phony."' (Don)...I disagree - we should endeavour to sound more earthy when singling folk than when in church, e.g. (as I've said here).
"I don't see how I—or anyone—could sing a song such as "Bonnie Dundee," "McPherson's Farewell," or particularly, "The Braes of Killiecrankie" without adopting a Scots accent. The song would sound bizarre without it! And there are other songs that call for other accents in the same way." (Don)...so don't sing them - just enjoy listening to Scots sing them, and Scots and others can enjoy listening to your American songs, some of which are, as you've said, variations of songs from the nations of these isles. Again: "nationalism with conquest is bad; but nationalism with eco-travel and fair-trade is good for humanity" (above link).