It's such a weird thing isn't it - because most of the best (ok, scrub that, my favourite) singers have multiple 'deficiencies'. It's all about how the emotion is transferred to my ears. Some people almost literally 'can't sing' but it still works. Other people are entirely technically proficient but you never want to hear again...it's the same with guitar playing - Yngwie Malmsteen can play all the notes, but do you ever want to listen to him playing them a second time? To get bang up to date - Robert Fripp or Steve Vai (KC v BEAT playing KC)? No contest - less is always more.
I agree with all that. I like "stylists". I like artists with charisma, intelligence, and the ability to get emotions over to the audience. When I talked about "deficiencies", I was thinking more about pop singers than people like Bob Dylan or [insert name here].
Jules
