"Both her and Anne Briggs had voices that weren't nasal, sure, but they certainly weren't "baby doll" voices - far from it. For me, they were just straightforward, no-nonsense. Neither Shirley Collins nor Anne Briggs sounded breathy or ethereal or gossamer-thin."

Indeed!

As regards younger folk performers not projecting, I've had the same experience. I've met/seen so many younger performers who are musically excellent, but not so many that I would regard as vocally strong, and fewer still that can actually "belt it out" when required. Or is it that singing requires more time/experience to develop than instrumental dexterity? Or decades of singing in smoky rooms and a few thousand pints of beer? Or is it just the influence of "near-folk" artists on younger performers?