Dave - two different people, two different criticisms. Both older, time-served pro or semi-pro folkies. One suggested I was pitching too high & missing top notes as a result, the other said I was wavering around the tune at the start. Both volunteered this information without any prompting from me.

Jack - recording, yes, many times. People have downloaded my recordings (people I don't know, even). Hard to tell, though - once you start worrying, things start to sound worse the closer you listen ("that was on pitch but was it RIGHT on pitch?", "did I get that passing note or did it get lost?"). (I've worked up June Tabor's version of Waly Waly/Jamie Douglas but I'm shy of singing it out - particularly after the month I've just had - not because it's a sod of a tune with a lot of chest/head breaks but because one passing note keeps eluding me, viz. the second note in "...down the brae"/"...I would go". I am quite self-critical, generally.)

I really think it might be something about me (attracting unsolicited criticism that is, not singing badly). At work I had a very good friend who I eventually had to drop, because every single conversation was either a monologue about his projects or else "you know what your problem is... that's you all over... you're your own worst enemy..."' etc, etc. Sympathetically packaged but a bit discouraging after a while. Maybe I'm just walking around with a Slap Me face.