The transition to motherhood is a journey of heroism for every woman. The mind blowing capacity to feel love that was never felt before, and the often unexpected and more often unexpressed difficult feelings that can bubble up when every moment of one’s formerly free-to-do-and-go life requires meeting the needs of another. What happens when a bohemian, free spirit singer song-writer who spends the majority her adult life traveling around the country playing her music, becomes a mother, and settles into a new life of domesticity? To quote one of Libby’s songs, many new, rich and character-stretching “episodes of honesty” unfold.  And through the Love, the Giving, the endless distractions that make completing anything –from a conversation to taking care of one self – feel impossible, a “Heroine” is, well, had to be born ~ necessity being the mother of invention.  Libby’s son Charlie is the subject of “Needle to the Record” in Libby’s new and fourth release, “Heroine”.  In the song she ponders “who’s the puppet, and who’s the puppeteer?” – the perfect metaphor for the mother-child relationship.  As you sink into her poetic reflections on this new chapter in life and experience her soothing, whispering, soaring vocal talent wrapped around her guitar – you’re simply transported. Libby Kirkpatrick’s entire “Heroine” album is a brave invitation to travel from your heart to hers and back to the center of your own. It’s brave musically too.  With sophisticated arrangements and unique instrumental choices through her partnership with producer and musician Rob Halverson, Libby’s songwriting maturity shines. Halverson’s quirky use of instrumentation together with Libby’s creative songwriting and vocal acrobatics create new sounds reminiscent of the creative input of George Martin.  Rob and Libby’s production and songwriting talents combine to create dark, intimate story with subtle, yet surprising sounds that become more pronounced with each new listening.  U2’s Bono said to Elvis Costello in an interview that “intimacy is the new punk rock.”   If that is true, then Libby Kirkpatrick re-emergence post-motherhood with “Heroine” places her square in the middle of the post-punk Intimacy music genre. Already established as a gifted songwriter, Libby’s awards include finalist at the Lady Sixstring songwriting competition, finalist at the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, finalist at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, winner of the Telluride “Troubadour” songwriting and performance competition and finalist at the Billboard songwriting competition. With “Heroine,” Libby’s newly rebirthed and blossomed songwriting brings the listener closer to three-dimensionality with enough openness to allow the sound to be interpreted as the listener hears. Libby considers some of these songs to be more like prayers to the muse – including “Heroine,” “Beautiful Illusion,” and “Neverland. Of her work with Rob Halverson on the production of the “Heroine” album, Libby praised his ability to take her songs and fully animate them in way that matched the new stretch of her songwriting. “It was like writing a screenplay together. or, moreover, it was like watching the screen play - we would listen, stop, talk, paint a picture - he'd paint a stroke, then i would. At times i felt we were in a Franz Kafka play, or a David Lynch film. It was like a quiet creative explosion for me, which i couldn’t host in my own head, it had to be with Rob.” Through her record "Heroine", Libby Kirkpatrick honestly and beautifully captures and expresses the yo-yo feelings of new motherhood, the big love, the loss of self, the profound, primal feelings of connection to the earth and all living things, and the muddy climb to rebuilding and expressing a new self that is now shared with another. “This Austin-based songstress possesses a clear voice that weaves itself unexpectedly through a melody, and a firm command of acoustic guitar... she easily shares the lineage of Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, or Ani DiFranco." —Carrie Havranek, The Village Voice, NY "A fluid, dark, utterly beautiful record. Kirkpatrick’s breathtaking, agile voice and fearless delivery take this already solid set of songs and lift them into the stratosphere. Conjuring heartbreaking voices from Rickie Lee Jones to PJ Harvey and Cat Power, she keens, howls, croons and chirps her way through smart contemporary pop, brooding folk and luscious, pulsating laments. The sonic textures of ‘Goodnight Venus’ are as deep and luxurious as the content of her lyrics. Standouts ‘Circus,’ ‘To a Child,’ and ‘Vaulted Heart’ illustrate Kirkpatrick’s ease with lyrical complexity and mind-bending melody and harmony. Patty Griffin, watch your back." — Clay Steakley, Performing Songwriter Magazine "Kirkpatrick gradually gave birth to the singer-songwriter represented in radiant bloom on her recently released third CD Goodnight Venus It’s Kirkpatrick’s most articulate and instrumentally fleshed-out statement of the musical vision she’s been cultivating at least since adolescence, perhaps since childhood. -– Derk Richardson, Editor, Acoustic Guitar Magazine ‘I try to create voicings that match my mood, not the other way around,’ notes Kirkpatrick,.Nor for that matter, is it even something that would be categorized as ‘lead guitar.’ It simply serves the song.’" -– Jude Gold, Guitar Player Magazine “Libby Kirkpatrick is a stunning singer/ songwriter. The most striking thing about her music is the artful, edgy arrangements. There's not a bad track among the 13 here.” -– Mick Skidmore, Relix Magazine Libby Kirkpatrick is, by anyone's measure, one of the best songwriters in Austin. Though her striking style most closely resembles that of Patty Griffin, her third album (and first national release) ‘Goodnight Venus,’ certainly breaks new ground with a marked departure from typical Texas folk. Libby's soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics lend the album an intimate, at times whimsical character that seems to have escaped the younger generation of Austin songwriters. Her melodic sense seems more typical of artists like Joni Mitchell or Rose Polenzani. A remarkable contribution to Austin's music culture, this is simply a must-have album for fans of the genre ... especially the aspiring songwriter/guitarist." ****1/2 (4.5 out of 5 stars) -– Max Harger, The Daily Texan