"I think there are 'trad ' folks in folk music who want the performers to adhere rigidly"
If there are, I don't think they have put an appearance in here
I think there is no greater evidnce of "folk policing than the use of the term "folk police" - it's a form of unnecessary insulting
None of this has anything to do with folk "authenticity" - it is a matter of communication
For me, normal women's voices singing about turning capstans and hauling mainsheets sound as ludicrous as hairy-arsed rugby players complaining about being stuck up the duff by blacksmiths - neither convince me
Women are as free to sing shanties as I am to say that, unless they develop their voices to the extent that they sound convincing , they end up sounding rather false
Jim Carroll