Jim - when someone mutters words to the effect of 'this is not good ballad singing' then that seems to suggest they're privy to some sort of insider info. of what is good ballad singing. Myself, I don't have those sorts of criteria, but I don't believe in competitions either, something you get a lot of over there I believe, so maybe the judges are more in-the-know with respect of said secret wisdom. If it's simply a matter of expressing an opinion, then fair enough, but whether you like it or not I work very hard on my ballad singing, and regularly put it to the test before appreciative (but hardly uncritical) audiences of all ages & inclinations. So if it's more than just a matter o' taste, which I suspect it is or you wouldn't have expounded so much time & energy telling me how off the map you think I am, then what's the underlying problem here I wonder?