[Laura Nyro is] not just another chick singer but a woman of some complexity, a fact her songs should have prepared everyone for….

[In her songs, the] words-as-meaning are less important than the words as sounds, like "time and wine / red and yellow honey / sassafras and moonshine" in "Stoned Soul Picnic." And any meanings are usually allusive rather than specific; they set up a flow of associations that opens up the poetry of the song. But more than that, the word-sounds are sung for their feeling, for their own sweetness or harshness and for the added expression Laura can give them with her constantly varying voice.