Lo-fi recordings have their charms. Listening to Robert Johnson, for example, just wouldn't be the same without the tinny sound and the scratches.

But it's the 21st century now, and the average listener would much prefer a sonically pristine recording. As is the case with Heather Kropf's new album, "What Else Is Love" (Reverie Records).

"That's exactly what I was going for, a good sound. I made all my decisions in the beginning to go for that," says Heather. The Pittsburgh singer-songwriter-pianist will celebrate the completed project with a CD release party at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at Cefalo's Restaurant & Nightclub in Carnegie.

The exceptional production - Heather was involved throughout the process - goes a long way toward conveying the album's focal point: her lyrics, as expressed through a clear, honest singing voice. Each of the 11 songs tells a story about relationships and the various emotions thereof, and each does so while avoiding any of the standard "love song" motifs we've come to know all too well.

Here's an example from "One Good Day," a song featuring a sparse, percussion-free arrangement to accentuate a theme of hopelessness:

"There are many ways of leaving/a mask, a hero, a war
I'm just an ordinary woman/I don't know what any of that stuff is for
I just want one good day/I want one good day"

And on "String," in what Heather calls her only attempt at humor on the album:

"If I told you I wanted to rip off your head/it's only because I care
The dishes pile up by the sink/The light in your eyes has gone dull after too many drinks."

Her early inspirations for her songwriting were the likes of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush, although it's difficult to detect hints of any of their somewhat quirky styles within Heather's music. Instead, she says it was the "personal expressions" in their writing that encouraged her to follow a similar course.

Also, Heather says, "Here are women who are out there writing songs and singing them for a living. I found out it was actually an option for me."

By way of background, Heather started performing publicly at Goshen College in Indiana, where she was a fine arts major with a minor in communications. She came to Pittsburgh through a program that landed her an internship with WYEP-FM's music director. She recorded her debut album, "Sky," in 2000, and the critics were extremely kind.

"What Else Is Love" is actually the culmination of a three-year process, a reflection of her goal of focusing on the sound quality. One decision was for her to play a vintage Steinway piano: "We wanted a real open sound on everything."

Some folks on her long list of collaborators include engineer Dino Distefano and Grammy-winning producer Scott Hull of New York City, who did the mastering. (He's also worked with the likes of John Mayer, Steely Dan, Ani DiFranco and the Corrs.) The cast of musicians includes her regular working band members, Randall Venturini (a co-producer) on bass, Joe Waslousky on drums and John Purse on electric guitar. Another contributor is Jenna Nicholls, a talented vocalists who sings harmony with Heather on two songs.

The musicians take center stage on an outro jam to wrap up the title track, which features a rhythmic, jazzy arrangement highlighted by James Moore's trumpet. The song actually took shape about a year into the sessions for the album, and it represents something of a stylistic shift.

"I became really aware of how my songs are lyric-focused, and I wanted to wrote songs that are more music-oriented, and have the lyrics fit in around that," Heather says.

Either way, Heather Kropf comes across as a talented songwriter, not to mention singer and musician. And, if you give "What Else Is Love" a close listen, she has a heck of an ear for production, too.