| Cara Dillon v Ruth Notman |  Not in a fist fight, you understand, although if such an encounter were to take place I'd expect Ruth’s superior punching power to prevail in the later rounds.
No, this concerns False, False (or Fause, Fause to give it the more Celtic title) a song collected by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger from the singing of traveller Christina MacAllister, which has been covered by both artists.
Now I'm a massive Cara Dillon fan. Her rendition of The Maid of Culmore is peerless, conveying the hurt, helplessness and anger at loving someone who is out of reach without ever raising the volume. It's a masterclass in expression.
Likewise with the much garlanded Black is the Colour - a song I've heard in folk clubs many times. Only physical cowardice prevents me from advising the performing artists to drop it from their set because the chances of getting even close to matching Cara's majestic effort are zero.
So it's a surprise to me that when it comes to False, False I like Ruth's version better. Not that there's anything wrong with this track on Hill of Thieves, Dillon’s latest album. It's standard fare for her - delicate, understated and always easy on the ear. But in comparison it's a bit lightweight, sounding like some daft woman who's having a whinge because her boyfriend's been flirting with the local barmaid.
Notman's interpretation, on the other hand, is bleak, funereal even. She sounds as if her whole world has fallen to bits and won't ever be reassembled. But then that's how would feel if the person you've lavished your finest feelings on buggers off with someone else.
Maybe youth plays a part here. Ruth Notman was only eighteen when she recorded Threads, the album from which this study in female misery is taken. You develop a veneer as you age, with the gradual realisation that in general, people are a bit rubbish when it comes to considering the emotions of others. Such things hurt more when you're young.
So Ruth is the winner on this one by a comfortable margin. You can only hope she's cheered up by now.
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