Here’s what I don’t consider when assessing a recording.
A singer’s tone.
There are so many vocalists whose voices aren’t conventionally beautiful, but who are endlessly communicative. Conversely, there are lots of beautiful voices singing with nothing to say.
I read today a comment about Daniel Radcliffe’s recording of Sondheim’s “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” saying, “Sure, his voice isn’t great, but…”
I think his voice is great, because he uses it to tell a story. I think Billie Holiday’s voice is great because of her storytelling. Bernadette Peters, Ethel Merman, Jacob Collier, even John Lennon. These are all voices that, to me are endlessly compelling despite not being conventionally beautiful.
Something’s lost if we’re only interested in voices that have conventionally beautiful tone.
So I’ve stopped even considering the tone when I listen. It’s not on my list.