Winnie, according to I what I heard Rav Soloveichik did not sing zemirot at all. Do you think that he was not a committed Jew? The Gra and the CS spoke about musicology, not necessary being a bundle of emotion. In fact, David HaMelech was punished for calling divrei Torah zemirot
(Sotah 35a). Rav Kook explains that zemirot come from the heart whereas shirot come from the intellect. There is a well-known statement (which the Baal HaTanya also brings) that a person is divided into three parts: moach (intellect), lev (emotions) and kaved/klayot (desires and imagination). If the intellect rules the emotions and the emotions rule the desires and imagination he is a melech. If the the emotions are on top he is Lemech. If it is totally reversed he is kelem (embarassment).
As for Carlebach, the fact of the mater is that most gedolei Yisrael discouraged going to his concerts for well-known reasons.
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