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“For her third outing,’Goodnight Venus ‘,singer/songwriter Libby Kirkpatrick shows
plenty of imagination. Things like the flügelhorn on ’Vaulted Heart’ or the way the lead
guitar on ‘Wake Me Up’ pushes the song wide open make this a cut above the ordinary.
She's obviously been affected by hearing Rickie Lee Jones -– it's evident in her swaying,
slightly jazzy, vaguely slurred vocals -– and adopted some of the mannerisms to her own
style. But there are worse role models to have, and Kirkpatrick has developed to the point
where she's largely her own person. Working with a number of musicians allows her to
add plenty of colors and textures to her songs, whether it's the cello on ‘Circus’ or bansuri
flute on ‘Silver Road.’ She proves to be an excellent producer, too, never indulging herself
too much. Even her solo outing, ‘Jenny's Eyes,’ is carefully abbreviated. Her writing
continues to improve, becoming more oblique and interesting, a strong woman finding
her way in life, but also with an ear for low-key pop, as on ‘Crying.’ And even when it's not
completely successful, such as with ‘Now,’ which tries to be a bit too epic, she's trying and
learning. When she stretches herself and it does work -– which ‘Run’ does, extremely well
-– you know you're in the presence of an artist.”
-– Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
“Libby Kirkpatrick's first recording, ‘Songs from the Ether’ is a good example of a CD that
started life as a demo but subsequently ended up being released commercially. When
Kirkpatrick recorded ‘Songs from the Ether’ in the late ‘90s, the disc was meant to be a
promotional item-– one that she would send to labels and club owners (if they needed to
hear a sample of her work) and sell at her gigs. But in 2002-– after Kirkpatrick had signed
with Heart Music --– ’Songs from the Ether’ finally became commercially available and was
sold in stores. And there is no reason why this CD shouldn't have found its way to retail;
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