You mentioned Scott Gardiner - I could listen to him all day, too. His older brother, Jim Malcolm, is also an excellent singer. I suspect that Jim makes a living from his singing, and Scott does not. But I would much prefer to listen to Scott.

I think the difference is that Scott sings traditional music, and Jim sings mostly his own compositions. These young men who have posted at Mudcat sing only their own compositions. That seems to be the practice among males, that they sing only their own compositions. If they were to learn the traditional music and practice the discipline of singing traditional music, I would be more likely to enjoy their singing, and to appreciate an original composition from them every now and then.

My son is 46 years old and makes a living as a musician. He started in punk rock and now does techno. He does only his own compositions, but he has a broad knowledge of many genres of music and the work of most of the musicians in his genre. I think that his knowledge of the work of other people is what makes him successful. I have to admit, however, that I can take his music only in small doses, with earplugs. He himself wears earplugs except when he is performing.

Joe