Karine Polwart was born on December 23, 1970, in Banknock, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Currently leading her own band and formerly lead singer with Scots-Irish quintet Malinky and a one-time member of Battlefield Band and duo MacAlias Karine, Polwart was on her road to great success when she was voted Best Scots Singer at the 2003 Scots Trad Music Awards.
Blending passionate stridency with plaintive sensitivity, she has a maturity and breadth of outlook and experience that distinguishes her as one of the most powerful and inventive narrative interpreters of her generation.
Karine Polwart is widely regarded as one of the finest young Scottish traditional singers of her generation. She also has a growing reputation as a gifted songwriter in both traditional and contemporary style, and her writing encompasses both historical narratives and current political issues. At the 2005 Folk on 2 Awards, Karine won Best Album for Faultlines, Best Original Song for ‘The Sun’s Comin’ Over the Hill’ from Faultlines, and the Horizon Award.
With the release of Faultlines her first solo album a broad contemporary audience can appreciate Karine’s individual and absorbing vocals, insightful lyrics and memorable melodies. As a pre-cursor to her Scribbled in Chalk CD, Karine released a 5-track EP titled The Pulling Through in 2005.
In addition to her talent as a multi-award-winning songwriter and musician, Karine is also a storyteller, essayist, and published writer. Her script for her award-winning show ‘Wind Resistance’ was picked by Robert Macfarlane for The Guardian’s ‘Best Books of 2017’.
Discography:
Last Leaves, with Malinky (2000)
Happy Daze, with Battlefield Band (2001)
3 Ravens, with Malinky (2002)
Faultlines (2003)
Scribbled in Chalk (2006)
Fairest Floo’er (2007)
This Earthly Spell (2008)
Traces (2012)
Evergreen, with Lau (2012)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.