I just listened to two Burns songs in that link, Helen of Kirconnel and The Slaves Lament, and I have to say that I was not inclined to seek out any more; I have heard many better renditions - I was particularly disappointed to hear The Slaves Lament sung rather cheerily to the tune of The Bonnie Lass o Fyvie O - -- !
- I don't have a problem with setting words to different tunes or variants of tunes - Terry Clarke was so blown away by The Slaves Lament he wrote his own tune to is 'cos he couldn't wait for me to give him the Burns one; interestingly the words fitted his tune as comfortably as the original - -because he understood the meaning and mood of the song!
There are three hundred and something Burns songs, and many of them are absolutely stunning; quite a few are set to fiddle tunes, and many others lend themselves to unaccompanied singing - which is how Burns would have heard them when he first collected them.
I think there should be a ban on rhythmic guitar accompaniment to the majority of Scottish folk songs and the songs of Robert Burns!