This is an odd thing for me to write about, but one of my favorite folk rock singers passed away recently. I always liked Melanie Safka (known simply as "Melanie"). She was a beautiful girl, and some of her songs were exceptional in my opinion. I always found her voice very interesting. She had a quaver in her voice that made you think her voice was a bit weak, but then she would belt out a stanza of powerful and moving notes that would take your breath away.
I admit to having mixed feelings about her. She struck me as a bit of a flake on interviews, and most of her music is too "hippieish" for me, full of peace and love and flowers stuff. However, she did produce some truly great songs.
My favorite song of hers is "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" with the Edwin Hawkins Singers. I also like "Ring the Living Bell". Oddly enough, her biggest hit was "Brand New Key", also know as The Roller Skate song. It was very different from her other music, having a light, bouncy beat and pretending to be a children's song. It had some suggestive and amusing lyrics, which was part of its appeal. She also wrote "Look What They've Done to my Song, Ma" and "Peace Will Come", which are quite good, but not in the category of her other hits.
R.I.P. Melanie.