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The next meme I'm doing is from the Music Memoirs. It's the Top Five On Friday!

There's a twist to this week's meme It's an either or...or both selection, because I want to have a chance to celebrate the beauty of Irish music. So you can do: 1. Top five songs by Irish artists/or songs with an Irish/celtic feel to them. Or 2. Top five silly songs. or 3. Top five Irish drinking songs!

I'm going to do #1, but I'm going to modify it a bit. There's no way I could pick five songs out of all the great Celtic/Irish songs out there, so I'm going to just pick the top five Celtic albums that I have. They aren't all going to be Irish, but Celtic music is Celtic music and it's all good to me.

1) The Chieftains "Water From The Well."
This album is The Chieftains' return to traditional forms of Irish music, and it's quite an awesome achievement. The group traveled all around Ireland and played tunes in various styles from different parts of the island. On most of the tracks they're joined by very special friends such as Ashley MacIsaac and Altan. What results is a collection of very organic, live-sounding Irish songs and sets with moods ranging from sad to beautiful to flat-out energetic. This album was my introduction to traditional Celtic music and I'd recommend it to anyone else wanting to learn about Celtic music.

2) Natalie MacMaster "Live"
Natalie has made traditional Cape Breton fiddle albums, and she's also made modern albums with such influences as Flamenco music and even a bit of electronica. This 2002 live album of hers shows just how everything comes together in Natalie's music. The first disc is a recording of one of her live concert shows with her full band. You get electric guitar and bass, keyboards and piano, and a drum kit added to Natalie's fiery fiddling. This concert is a good example of Natalie's ability to improvise and add her own energy and personality to the music while still keeping the traditional feel.

The second disc is a recording of a small-town ceilidh in Natalie's homeland of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. The only musicians are Natalie, a pianist and an acoustic guitar player. Unlike her more formal concert, this gig starts off with a bang and stays that way all night. Natalie fiddles for minutes at a time without much of a break and keeps the dancers on their feet. You can hear the hooting and hollering from the crowd and, if you close your eyes, you can almost feel like you're in the dance hall yourself.

"Live" is, in my opinion, a good way to explore all the different ways Natalie plays her music. You get the traditional and the modern in one complete package, and you get to feel the energy Natalie gives during a live performance. It's excellent!

3) Green Linnet Records: 25 Years of Celtic Music
Green Linnet is America's premier Celtic music record label, and they put this two-disc collection out for their 25th anniversary. The two discs are positively packed with a variety of the best Celtic music around. There's old stuff and new stuff. There's solo fiddle performances and full band sets. There's rock and roll, there's songs with influences from other cultures, and there's even some songs in Gaelic. This album gives you a great variety to choose from and shows you how rich and vibrant Celtic music can be. Give this a listen and then go and explore artists whose songs you like. I highly recommend "Dulaman" by Altan.

4) Lunasa "Otherworld"
I only have two of Lunasa's albums, and they're both awesome. "Merry Sisters of Fate" is probably a bit better than "Otherworld," but I'm choosing Otherworld because it's a bit more Irish. Lunasa is a great traditional yet jazz-influenced Irish group whose members are very accomplished in the Celtic music world. "Otherworld" consists mostly of nice long sets with blazing-fast reels, along with some slower, beautiful compositions. This album is just amazing and it's easy to enjoy.

5) Natalie MacMaster "My Roots Are Showing"
Her roots are definitely showing on this traditional collection. Natalie plays pure Cape Breton style here, and she plays it extremely well. After you listen to "Live," listen to this to get a sense of where Natalie is coming from musically. It's also great fun to listen to in addition to giving you an education in Cape Breton fiddle! The last tune, "A Glencoe Set" is performed live by Natalie and her uncle Buddy MacMaster. It's a great fiddling romp and definitely worth the purchase price of the CD.