The Script

This wonderfully classy debut album hit the top spot in the Irish and UK charts, and spawned a succession of hit singles. Vocalist Danny O’Donaghue doesn’t just sing the songs, he inhabits them, and his cohorts, guitarist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power, have an unerring instinct for adding the right musical ingredients, brewing up a unique Celtic soul-pop stew. ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ showed that the term radio-friendly need not be loaded, and the social observations in the lovingly layered ‘We Cry’ go way beyond obvious chart-fodder. The album is packed with well-crafted choruses and thoughtful variations on hip-hop, anthemic rock, melodic pop and reggae.

No 44 in 2009, as voted for by over 200 Irish musicians.