From the first strains of the urgent piano motif that never lets up on "Joy Comes Like the Morning," you know that Heather Kropf has been hearing things a little differently lately.

Her new CD, "Hestia," is a departure from her previous work in that it captures the organic essence of her live performance. The sound is clear, simple and devoid of the kind of studio post-production that can hamper an artist such as Kropf, whose piano and vocal skills fit together so well. She admits that her fans and engineer/bass player Randall Venturini encouraged her to pursue the project, although it didn't come without a lot of self-discovery.

"Going into the studio for this disc was a big challenge for me. When I play live, I don't record. Two years ago, I went into the studio and played for two days and listened to the result. I just wasn't ready."

She spent a lot of time practicing and developing a new sound, grounding the project with Keith Hershberger on acoustic guitar and Vince Camut on leads and pedal steel.

The disc features five new songs and six remakes from previous releases. Kropf let her fans dictate some of the choices. She reflects that her choices were born from her original vision.

"When I recorded 'Edges of the Day,' I imagined a quieter song. I liked what the band did on the original but wanted to bring it home. On 'Madrigal,' I recorded three lead vocals. I wanted to do it originally and everyone said, 'No, it wouldn't work,' but I knew it would."

Kropf found inspiration in writing retreats. " 'Lady of Constant Motion' was completed at the height of political posturing in 2006. I didn't want the song to resolve emotionally and have this person stay stuck."

"Devolving" was born from a mishap. "I went out of town for a writing retreat to house-sit and started a house fire, a kitchen fire. After that, I sat and wrote the song. You know, sometimes stuff just falls apart" she says laughing.

Kropf looks forward while reflecting on the past 13 years: "I feel pretty good as an artist. For me, this CD is the end of a chapter and a beginning of what comes next. ... Maybe I will return to visual art. I felt like I needed to do something that had my mark on it exclusively, and I feel really comfortable because this project can be backed up with a live performance."

In the end, she succeeded, because listening to "Hestia" is like taking a long walk with an old friend -- you return a little wiser, refreshed and ready to face the world with wonder again.