A wave of vibrant rock music surged from women artists in 2007.

Joni Mitchell returned to grace our listening spaces with "Shine." Annie Lennox laid "Songs of Mass Destruction" on us, while KT Tunstall scored on her sophomore effort, "Drastic Fantastic." And Amy Winehouse earned a magnum's worth of 2007 Grammy nominations for her album "Back to Black."

However, many other female artists recorded a rich array of music this year.

Here's a brief look at some noteworthy releases from women artists over the last 365 days.

Tori Amos, "American Doll Posse" (Sony)

The state of America's social fabric, political leadership, war and the impersonal nature of the digital age converge to shape the thematic currents of "American Doll Posse." With her rippling piano and distinctive vocal arrangements, Amos delivers a solid 23-song playlist.

Melissa Etheridge, "The Awakening" (Island)

A mix of personal experience and meditations about the wider contemporary world create a concept-album-like feel on "The Awakening." From the attempted suicide of a lover related on "An Unexpected Rain" to the perils of religious martyrdom in "The Kingdom of Heaven," Etheridge zeroes in on memories and the contemporary situations with singular honest passion. Additionally, Etheridge deserves enormous props for another aspect of this effort. In a remarkable turnaround, she also produced and put out a live recording of "The Awakening" within weeks of the studio version's September release.

P.J. Harvey, "White Chalk" (Island)

Sparse, earthy, and spiritually introspective, Polly Harvey takes her music down a new creative avenue on "White Chalk." Gone are the thumping bombast of her earlier "Meet Ze Monsta" days, and the lightning riffs of "Kamikaze," in favor of a new musical style that relies more on keyboards than percussion and guitar. The album breezes along at a low-to-mid tempo pace, with the numbers "Silence" and "The Piano" about as upbeat as the music gets. At times, "White Chalk" is tortured. But it also possesses exceptional continuity, and feels positively seamless.

Jesca Hoop, "Kismet" (Sony BMG)

On her debut effort, Jesca Hoop stirs a variety of music styles, from blues and country to jazz and rock, into a grand sonic bouillabaisse seasoned with alluring vocals and harmonies. Hoop blends a hint of retro and Regina Spektor flavor into her "Silverscreen," dishes up a jaunty cadence on "Out the Back Door," and concludes this fascinating sonic journey with an effective sweetly throwback-style ballad, "Love and Love Again."

Dolores O'Riordan, "Are You Listening?" (Sanctuary Records)

The former front woman of the Irish rock group The Cranberries serves up a texturally smooth effort on her first solo album. Her deliciously lithe voice and robust instrumentation produce a melodic potency that almost rises to a melodramatic level, but never succumbs to it. Introspective reflections fuels much of the thematic thrust on "Are You Listening?", with family connections underscoring several key tunes, including the opener, "Ordinary Day," and "Apple of My Eye."

Michelle Shocked, "To Heaven U Ride" (Mighty Ride)

Shocked not only feels the power on this collection of gospel-inspired covers originally recorded during a live performance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2003, she exudes it. Blending blues, funk and some serious rock, the only stone the urban folk rocker omits here is a new rousing rendition of "My Sweet Lord."

Sia, "Some People Have Real Problems" (Monkey Puzzle)

From the moment Sia slips into her "Little Black Sandals," she grabs your heart. Sia's soaring, occasionally offbeat balladry moves gracefully along the current of her endearing vocal delivery. Her up-tempo "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" conveys a spirited sense of empowerment, while the measure of relationship differences assumes calculated playfulness on "Academia." Sia strikes her strongest marks however, on the album's weightless, romantic tunes, "You Have Been Loved" and "I Go to Sleep."

Siouxsie, "Mantaray" (Decca)

Check your volume settings: Your stereo or iPod is about to undergo a royal workout. Siouxsie's first solo album doesn't grow on you — it's all over you in a furious cascade. A harrowing industrial beat particularly drives the opener "Into a Swan," the succeeding "About to Happen" and the percussive-powered, five-alarm storm on "One Mile Below." Yet, the album's molten energy isn't committed solely to making the sparks fly. Siouxsie also asserts her sultry dexterity on several of the album's more moderately paced tunes.

Make a difference. Donate to The Advertiser Christmas Fund.