I've just put up my version of the London Waterman as one of 52 Folk Songs. From that blog post, here are some thoughts about Bellamy's singing style:

"I got this song from Peter Bellamy's recording. Learning it – and learning how to sing it, which is slightly different – helped me understand why Bellamy sang the way he did, with that pouncing, declamatory attack on the lines. The short answer is that he did it because it works – it really gets you under the skin of the song. Also, taking a song by the scruff like this is fun – and it's not *pretty*, which for some of us at least is a virtue."

I was thinking then of June Tabor's version of the same song, which has absolutely nothing wrong with it except that it *is* pretty. I dislike it intensely and greatly prefer Bellamy's more abrasive version. But I suspect I'm in the minority.