Dierdre's solo album is infused with electronic sensibility, a voice to knock your socks off, and the beautiful song "One Of Your Smiles". It is a reprise of "More Than The Ocean", being a slower, more heartfelt version of the upbeat dance-oriented version. A good idea of the type of talent Dierdre has.

Taking Back Sunday are forging ahead into the new year with Louder Now, bringing rock back during a time when we desperately need it. "Miami" is a perfect testament to this forward movement, and after you heart it, you'll only be able to agree.

Intercept! is a return to form for Bent, who took a more ethereal departure with 2005's Ariels. "Waiting For You" is an engaging and fast-paced dance number with scratchy and compelling male vocals that demands attention.

Charlotte Martin may be beginning to creep out of Tori Amos' shadow. Her willingness to embrace electronica in her heartfelt musical compositions is great. "Under the Gravel Skies" is a worthy addition to any fan's collection.

Jenny Bliss, with the help of Robbins Entertainment, provides us with a catchy and undeniable vocal trance gem. Her voice is surprisingly easy to listen to, and I can only hope for more of her.

Hello Stranger bring us a fantastic blend of rock, pop, and beautiful songwriting. "Her In These Lights" is a perfect example of this fusion. Just wait until you hear her sing, "I see her in these lights as the city ignites."

Often the point of my music mixes is to bring to the front songs that people may not be hearing. Because of this, I tend to ignore radio singles. Sometimes, like in the case of "Suzie", you just can't ignore the pull a track has. "Suzie" may be the best the album has to offer, but there's only one way to find out.

The new album from Evanescence provided me with trouble. I knew I wanted to use something on the mix, but I couldn't figure out which song. They were all too...bland. But the choice was clear when Amy Lee whispered, then practically screamed, "For once in my life I think it'd be nice to lose control just once."

This song is one of the best house songs I've heard come out of Europe in a long time, and with male vocals to boot! The Ian Carey mix is fantastic, but it's the original that made it onto my annual.

Carpark North are going to be huge if they keep releasing albums like this and songs like "Human". I was introduced to the song by it's fantastic video. It is hard, driving, and melodic. A perfect combo.

"No, Not Now" is not a new song. But it is fresh and a welcome addition to my mix. It's entrancing for a rock song and I only hope to hear more like this in the next year.

Sing-Sing, made up of a former member of the group Lush, deliver us a song that is just that. Lush. "Come Sing Me A Song" is super-fun sunny pop with a sing-along, breezy feel.

This album didn't offer a lot for my mix. Most of the songs were too..."out there", even for me. Then I relistened to "Read My Mind", and my mind was changed. It's a great song, and while not nearly as good as most of Hot Fuss, still represents an alley of music I think should be revisited more often.

Producer Herbert gives us a fantastic and catchy beat with "Harmonise", sung by long-time collaborator Dani Siciliano. I really can't explain it if you don't know his style, but watch out for that beat. Almost as hot as Roisin Murphy's "Ramalama".

Every good mix of music should have...no, NEEDS a helping of cheese. Without the cheese in the music industry, we couldn't have the serious songs. Sometimes the cheese just happens to be the best part, as shown here in the delicious "Lucky", by Lucky Twice.

"Take Me Back To Your House" is a fun and refreshing song, with the country twang and ferocious club beat. But what happens when you change things up a bit? The Balti Skool Mix shows us that, with dub-like vocals (just the background ones, for the most part) and a completely whacked-out, yet undeniable street beat.

Kristian was removed from my 2006 mix, but his fresh sound and amazing take on heartfelt pop melodies earned him a spot on 2007. "Hanging" is such a song. It was obviously good enough to make me come back to it over a year later.

Virginia rock group Over It have done a good job emulating many different styles of rock that have played on local rock station DC 101. "The Energy" uses the same blues root that Big Wreck used on their first album. "The Energy" is a fantastic rock-pop tune that you need to hear.

The year of Zero 7 vocalists brought solo albums from Sia, Mozez, Jose Gonzales, and this luscious vocalist, Tina Dico. "Use Me" is a slow, mellow tune that encourages someone not to beat themselves up, but to use her to make themselves feel better. It's dark and beautiful.