Despite her three Grammys, regular airplay on Radio 2 and a guest role on The Simpsons as Christian rock singer Rachel Jordan, Shawn Colvin is something of an unknown in the UK. And this is also despite her extraordinary songs, mesmerising guitar playing, and a voice that goes effortlessly from bruise-tender to scar-hard in a matter of minutes. Just as her voice is full of longing and regret, and occasionally icy anger, her lyrics are crafted and clever, full of subtlety and polished phrases.

Trouble, from her 1996 album A Few Small Repairs, was "as cheery as we're going to get tonight"; while that was not quite true, the remark set the tone. With delicious sarcasm and acerbic stories, she held the audience spellbound, taking requests and weaving tracks from her new record, These Four Walls, with those from her extensive back catalogue. Shotgun Down the Avalanche and Polaroids told stories of loss and remembrance, I'm Gone was a plaintive lament about the lengths to which people will go and the price they pay for doing so.

Sunny Came Home, Colvin's biggest hit and the song that earned her two of her Grammys (the other was for her first album, Steady On), got the biggest cheer of the night, but this was a crowd who knew her work intimately and enjoyed every moment. And they did so because her songs are so personal to her that they speak to everyone who listens. Colvin, alone on the stage except for her guitar, captivated without any need for fireworks or fancy footwork - though she did have very snazzy shoes.

· At The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow (0141-353 8000), on November 23, then touring.