The Script (Deluxe)

Ireland's The Script balance a ton of disparate elements on their debut album: They're fast-talking yet sensitive, peppy yet fond of sumptuous ballads, grandiose yet approachably intimate. Frontman Danny O'Donoghue's passionate delivery is the heart of his band's lush, multidimensional modern rock. The ease with which he goes from a scratchy whisper to a soaring falsetto on "Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)" demonstrates their shape-shifting grace, while the New Wave reggae of "Rusty Halo" proves that they're just as good at the business of rocking out.