Karine Polwart's first solo disc brought plenty of success to the former Malinky singer, and it's no surprise. Her writing blossoms here on Faultlines, with fully formed, confidently performed material that actually leans a little more towards American alt country rather than her native Scots folk, as on "The Sun's Comin' Over the Hill." There's a definite darkness to a lot of the material, but it's treated with beautiful observance and compassion, while the acoustic arrangements give it a sense of lightness. There's a sly humor in her words, too, which serves to underline her characters, and her voice, beguiling and intimate. Not everything is perfect -- a couple of tracks don't quite match the quality of the others -- but there's ample material here to commend Polwart not as a talent to watch, but as one who's fully arrived ~ Chris Nickson