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Sadly, "Brand New Key" had sounded the death knell on Melanie's commercial prospects. Stoneground Words was in another class altogether -- a mature, intelligent and ambitious work, easily as good as most singer/songwriter fare of its time. Building on Gather Me's better moments, Melanie effectively shed her cuteness but didn't get cynical, either. The lyrics of "Summer Weaving," "Do You Believe," and "I Am Not a Poet" have a pretty, almost painterly quality, and Melanie's ear for an interesting melody was at its strongest. Session heavyweights Sal DeTroia and Hugh McCracken, as well as the first-rate arrangements of Roger Kellaway, ensure Stoneground Words' status as an under-heard classic. What should have been a renaissance ended up a mere footnote to Melanie's glory days. ~ Charles Donovan
