To find the excessively rolled R sound an irritating distraction in songs?

[Dipankrispaneven]

It's particularly prevalent at this time of year, with people warbling on about Merrrrrrrry Chrrrrrrristmas, the Chrrrrrrist child, holly berrrries etc. Yes, I KNOW the theory is that it's necessary because the R sound is weak, but really, that's a load of nonsense, isn't it? No-one seriously thinks they're singing "Mewwy Chistmas", do they? And singers in musicals etc manage to make themselves perfectly well understood without doing it.

It was brought home to me today on listening to that version of "Walking In The Air" where adult Aled Jones duets with a recording of himself as a child. Young Aled, as a well-trained choirboy, trills on about drrrrrreams and frrrrrozen strrrreams, whilst adult Aled has plainly learnt better and sings like a normal human being. And actually adult Aled comes over much more clearly without all those intrrrrrusive R sounds.

OP, you might not want to listen to Rammstein, then. Rolled Rs all over the place (but then, it's in German).

But I do get what you mean, I think. I've never been able to roll Rs anyway, and I think that has something to do with my shit hearing.

You have to be able to hear these sounds to be able to copy them properly, and I couldn't (plus it's not common to hear in the Midlands).

I think it's something that some singers do and teachers teach purely out of tradition without stopping to think whether it's necessary or helpful. Even in foreign languages, unless you would naturally roll the R in the language in question it's incorrect. It isn't proper enunciation, it's mispronunciation and singers really need to stop and think whether it's actually adding anything or getting in the way of people's enjoyment of the music.

Rolled rs sound ridiculously dated but worse is vibrato. I physically cannot listen to a female voice singing with vibrato. That rules out all opera and much else.