In the 1960s, it was the British invasion; in the last few years it's been the Irish invasion. There's the stellar supergroup U2, and the powerful lyrics and spectacular voice of Sinead O'Connor. Then there is the alternative fivesome known as Hothouse Flowers.

The Flowers' second album, "Home," has spawned two hit singles. The first single, "Giving it Up," features lead singer Liam O'Manolai's rich voice and a boisterous, folksy-bluesy, energetic beat that will get your feet moving! The latest single, "Movies," is a whimsical song about going to - you guessed it - the movies. The album also features "Sweet Marie," a hauntingly sweet song about the girl of Liam's dreams. There are twelve songs in all, and all combine traditional Irish folk music with blues. These five highly talented musicians are also very energetic!

I give this very fresh sounding album an A+ and hope to be hearing more from these five from Dublin in the future! n