I can't stand Jimmy Barnes. I don't know if he is very well known in the US, but he's a bit of a local icon here in Australia. Personally I can't stand the way he sings. He just belts everything out at full volume, and its dreadful. It only takes the first few bars of 'working class man' on the radio to have me changing stations.

I also can't stand Nick Cave. That man can't sing for peanuts. His songs aren't much cop, either. Just a load of self-important pseudo-intellectual claptrap.

Somebody here mentioned John Mayer. I sort of agree that his singing doesn't amount to much, but he's not a bad guitarist. Saw him playing on the Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD, and he was quite good (as a guitarist).

One of my pet hates are singers who resort to excessive warbling. Their voices go up and down the scales constantly, and its so tedious. Why can't people sing a note straight any more? I think Mary J Blige (Bilge?) is a typical culprit. Maybe that's one reason why I like Irish traditional music. Good Irish singers know how to hold a note straight and keep it simple (and I don't mean Sinnead O'Conner).