I just dont care for the premise that opened this thread. ANY song, however great, can be made cheesy in presentation and arrangement.
Yes, music crosses geographical boundaries, and so it should, so what? So do people.
I'm going to stick up for Great Big Sea, who seem to have become the folkie Nickelback...if youse b'ys dont like em, youse can blow me! Er, leave them alone. They brought great Newfoundland and Maritime music to a whole new audience and opend a lot of doors for subsequent performers who appeal to all ages, not just us geriatric folkies. A few names you might look into:
Coig
The Dardanelles
Rawlins Cross
Cassie and Maggie McDonald
and among all the generic and up-and-coming singer-songwriters, which are never in short supply here, I suggest the exceptional Sarah Jane Scouten.