"crow sister and suibhne,take no notice of abuse."

I didn't see the cited abuse Good Soldier, but I must presume it was a disgruntled Causley fan? Of course one must never criticise the quality of the art of young(ish) folk slebrities around here - how silly of me to forget ;-) However abuse aside, this tangential discussion does have some significance to the core subject of the thread. Repeatedly on this thread, we are hearing from lovers of ballads about the crucial importance of getting *inside the story* and *communicating the story* to the audience. I'd suggest that requires gentleness and humility. Being not so impressed with your talents that you end up using the the song merely as a vehicle for a display of ones vocal and instrumental expertise.

This crucial aspect, is *for me* what I feel is absent from much of what I've heard of the current flush of British folk bands, which is perhaps why I find myself unmoved (and even disheartened by) such display of excellent musiscianship, which nevertheless fails (for me at least) to 'connect' to the soul of the song. And even (or so it seems) appears to make no attempt whatsoever to do so, which oddly I somehow find genuinely saddening. It's probably also why I'll never really be a 'folk music' fan (by which I mean "folk" as defined by the Music Industry and its punters) but will conversely inevitably remain thoroughly taken by traditional songs and learning to sing them myself.

I've been discovering how thoroughly precious they are this past year or so. And it's like a minor revelation when you start to feel your way inside and the song begins to live for you, unfolding itself delicately like a magical miniature world. When I first started singing people told me I had a lovely voice and I get lots of compliments for my voice still, but however pleasing that may be (and of course it's nice to hear) it means absolutely dick if I fail to address the *song* with gentleness and humility and thus allow that magical little world to show itself to me and to those I sing it for. But I'm literall only just beginning to find my own 'voice', by which I mean discovering how the song wants to be sung through me, so to speak. So stepping into ballads is proving quite intriguing as it feels like I'm exercising newly discovered muscles! And frankly I'm not all that happy with my efforts thus far. But I'm so glad that people here have shared so much about their intimate relationships with these long ballads, because at least I feel like I'm starting off down the right road..

'And see not ye that bonny road,
Which winds about the fernie brae?
That is the road to fair Elfland,
Where you and I this night maun gae.'