Fire up those gift cards that Santa put in your stockings! There was a wealth of great music released from Irish artists on both sides of the ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Atlantic in 2007; here is our pick of the 10 best sounds we heard all year! ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

10. Waterboys' Book of Lighning This is a new old album, with 8 songs selected from Mike Scott's song book coupled with two brand new songs. The end result is a Waterboys greatest hits album full of songs you've never heard. Because of the references from Scott's history, there seems to be something for everyone in this Book for fans of the various incarnations of the band.

Moya Brennan

9. Moya Brennan's Signature: With Clannad and her solo work, Moya Brennan has created a new genre of music that is utterly contemporary without losing the elements of deeply felt Celtic traditions; Signature is no exception. From the rolling piano of "Purple Haze" through the pensive acoustic chords of "Forever," Brennan weaves traditional Celtic instrumentation and melodies with gentle electronic textures and world beats. Each song sets a distinct mood, with Brennan's haunting voice painting soundscapes filled with lament and regret without losing the key element of hope in the process.

8. Seamus Kelleher's Four Cups of Coffee : the guitarist from Philadelphia's Blackthorn created a sumptuous sonic buffet with tasty morsels of blues, folk, and Celtic soul. A slavish devotee of Rory Gallagher, Seamus does the legend proud with his incendiary take of "What's Going On?"  To hear tracks log onto www.SeamusK.com 

7. Dropkick Murphy's The Meanest of Times: Musically, the band was sired from the loins of Johnny Rotten and Shane MacGowan; take a set of bag pipes, strap it to the exhaust side of a jet engine and you get a sense of what the Dropkick Murphys sound is like. This aggressive wall of sound is a shot glass full of whiskey, tension, and blood, and it goes down with a grimace. If you're a punk rocker, you wouldn't pour your music any other way. Amid the angry punk noise, there is also a genuine sentimental heart beating underneath; "God Willing" is a ditty about not taking your loved ones for granted. "You can't say goodbye to a gravestone, it doesn't work," they warn in the liner notes that introduce the song. A modern Celtic punk classic.

Icewagon Flu

6. Icewagon Flu, The Great American Something, a madcap smashup of Eighties pop sensibility and granola guzzling jam band cool, Icewagon Flu offers a wild ride with hairpin musical turns. The disc opens with "Clowns and Jokers," a tentative political tune disguised as a Dave Matthews jam.   "Blue9 has that alt country groove that you'd expect from REM, while "Little Red Devil" has a jazzy, reggaefied feel to it. In short, if you can't find something on this disc that tickles your fancy, then you probably don't like pop music. For more information, log onto IcewagonFlu.com.

5. Damien Dempsey's To Hell or Barbados: a departure from the folk stylings that made him a modern day Christy Moore, this record has a rocking, electric guitar driven feel to it. He opens with "Maasai;" his voice rises to high pitches not seen since Robert Plant screeched the blues with Led Zeppelin. When I die/I want to die not in a home for the unknown/when I love I want to love not like a swine with no spine but love like a flower loves sunshine," he wails.  While Damo is adept at calling attention to the ways of ancient people, he is also an expert journalist; his last releases have commented on the "negative vibes" that come with the Celtic Tiger prosperity in Ireland.  "Serious" is a pensive college rock ditty inspired by stories Damo heard about drug dealers dropping free drugs into the mailboxes of people trying to get clean. The track is a spoken word seduction that consists of a conversation between a silver tongued dealer and a potential new client. That song is worth the price of the disc by itself.

4. Shaz OYE: The Truth According to Shaz OYE: One of the most unique personalities and talents to emerge from Ireland in recent years, Shaz is a cross between the supple stylings of Sade and the tough, gritty poetry of Joan Armatrading. This black lesbian from the docklands provides a sophisticated alternative to the sensitive strummers that Dublin has been producing in recent years. An exquisite poet, Shaz also tackles matters of the heart. "It can't be pink champagne and roses/I don't expect devotion ten years on/I'm selfish and I'm jealous/I've got this life we made together/it's my security against the word," she confesses before asking her lover to "dance with me like you don't have too much to say." Over a tango beat and flamenco guitar licks, she talks about "passion spent, neatly folded" on the sensual "Through the Glass, Darkly."  Available on Itunes and CD Baby.

3. Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full: I'm as big of a McCartney fan as the next man, but let's face it: when was the last time a new CD from "the cute one" sent chills down your spine? He wrote "When I'm 64" forty years ago; did you dare dream that after 21 solo albums he would release his best one at this ripe old age? Memory Almost Full is aptly titled, as it is full of memories of the greatness that proves that he has no intention of giving up the "world's greatest living songwriter" crown. Released through Starbucks' label, the disc is a better blend of nostalgic nods with modern toe tappers chock full of instantly addictive melodies. 

2. Various Artists: Sean Agus Nua  Ireland has become a destination spot for immigrants hoping for a better life, and this album is a soundtrack of this cultural shift. With all of these nations converging on the Emerald Isle, Sean Agus Nua gives us a hint of what Irish traditional music might sound like in the next generation. A collection of sixteen songs recorded by globetrotting musicians at Shay's Studio in County Galway, Sean Agus Nua spans the globe "Black Drum" is a traditional song from the Campania region of Italy, and it sports a joyous interplay between the Irish and Italian musicians. There's a gorgeous, piano-based lullaby known as "Carinosa" provided by Night Elves from the Philippines. "Let's Come Together" finds Jamaican bandleader Natty Wailer" spearheading a wicked groove manufactured by Irish, Israeli, and Nigerian musicians. Galway jam band The Rye, my new favorite band, offers a fiery a fiery instrumental jam that pits frantic fiddling against stomping beats and wicked acoustic licks. The Sean Agus Nua organization conceived the CD as a localized project focusing on multiculturalism in early 2004, with the primary aim of creating a lasting document of Galway at a hugely important crossroads in its history. For more information on how to get your hands on this fantastic disc, log onto seanagusnua.com or shaysstudio.ie.

Artist of the Year:

Various Artists: The Cake Sale? The album, recorded in Dublin last year and spearheaded by Bell X1's Brian Crosby, is a collection of alterative acoustic gems performed by a who's who of Ireland's music scene. Members of Snow Patrol, Bell X1, Crowded House, and The Thrills joined head Frame Glen Hansard, Gemma Hayes, and Josh Ritter to create music that no Irish music fan should be without.  Damien Rice's former creative partner teams with Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody for a dreamy duet on "Some Surprise." "Your lips come as some surprise/that they would want to come and meet mine/they never taste like the last time," sings Lightbody. With its haunting slide guitar in the background, this song could be a country crossover hit if it hits the right ears. Conor Deasy from the Thrills offers a drowsy, sensual read on a psychedelic track called "Good Intentions Rust," which mixes Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" production values with chemically induced sparkle.  Glen Hansard has been showing a new side of his amazing artistry with solo projects like the film Once, and he continues that trend on"Too Many People," a highlight on the disc. The CD benefits Oxfam's Make Trade Fair Campaign, which calls on decision makers and world leaders to change unfair rules and practices on global trade (log onto oxfamirelandshop.com for more information).

"For more information, log onto cakesale.com.