Flower of the Soul by Liana Flores

Review written by Donna Telloh

Flower of the soul is Liana Flores’s debut album and first major project since her 2019 EP, recently, rose to popularity on TikTok. Full of folksy finger-picking, elements of jazz, and nature-filled, magical imagery, recently is full of the charm you would expect from a self-released project by an artist with clear musical prowess. The release of Flower of the soul, made under Verve Records, makes you wonder what Flores can do with a studio available to help her flourish.

The album begins with “Hello again.” Gentle acoustic guitar and piano ease the listener into the song, and Flores’ delicate voice chimes in with lyrics that set the scene with a sunshiny day. Double bass, percussion, and flute are introduced, creating a lush but intimate instrumental landscape. The song is unbelievably catchy and a strong start to the album.

“Orange-coloured day” starts with a bossa-nova-esque conversation between the bass and acoustic guitar, accompanied by a drum set and piano to complete the jazz quartet. Flores provides perhaps the most impressive vocal performance of the album; just enough beautifully executed vocal riffs are scattered throughout to embellish the melody without distracting from it. Before the song’s outro, she supplies the intermission with a scatted melody to pair satisfyingly with the jazz instrumental.

Up next is “Nightvisions,” described by Flores in an Instagram post as “a folk ballad of a supernatural love story for all lovers & creatures of shadows.” This one immediately sets a different tone from the previous two: dreamy and haunting. The fingerstyle guitar seems to melodically loop around itself, referencing the weaving-related imagery used as a lyrical device: “While at my loom a-weaving / My tapestries of light / You placed your hand on mine / And there was spun a web of night.”

“Crystalline” sustains the melancholy. Its lyrics describe a (possibly daydreamed) beachside walk. The instrumentals are minimal (consisting only of a repetitive acoustic guitar and occasional flute) until the third verse, where Flores seems to hint at this ocean as an escape from the stresses of reality. A string ensemble joins and becomes slightly discordant before Flores “stand[s] aside / And melt[s] into the rhythms of the tide” and the stringed “storm” subsides.

What follows is “I wish for rain,” the album’s lead single. Flores describes finding solace in the rain confirming her misery: “When I cry, the rain knows why, she knows.” A clever touch is added in the third verse when she calls herself a “fool in the rain,” and cascading chimes follow, providing a sort of audio cue of the rain itself.

The project ends with “Slowly,” a wistful lullaby. In it, Flores asks the listener to stay with her just a little while longer and wishes time to slow down. The album begins with morning in “Hello again,” stating, “Morning, yawn yourself awake / The light of the dawn brings another day to make” and ends with night in the lyrics of “Slowly”: “By the lowering sunlight, we’ll talk as freely / Openly / Till the morning birds sing us to sleep,” wrapping the record as a whole into a neat little bow.

The album’s biggest weak point is its imbalanced tracklist, resulting in a top-heavy record. “Hello again” through “Crystalline” are so instrumentally rich, that the last half seems less impressive and lacking variety. It’s at this point that many songs’ melodies begin to feel a bit directionless and difficult to follow, losing the catchy quality particularly present in “Hello again” and “Orange-coloured day.” Still, these are minor complaints; at the very, very worst, the last half can provide a beautifully calming ambiance.

Criticisms considered, the highs of Flower of the soul outweigh the lows considerably. Flores’s vocals are soft, almost a whisper, and easily underestimated. Here, she proves her vocal ability by providing satisfyingly controlled falsetto time and time again. The instrumentation, though full of its own harmonic surprises, is tasteful and ensures that Flores’s voice is the focal point for the entirety of each song. The lyrics are perhaps a bit flat through a narrative lens, but the level of imagery leads one to believe that this was intentional, and building an atmosphere was the priority.

Overall, Flower of the soul is a refreshing listen. Its lyrics and sound immediately made me feel whimsical and meditative; combined with its mystical imagery, it is the perfect soundtrack for a dreamy walk through an enchanted forest. Though the last half of the album felt flat and bled together in my first listen, each successive listen continues to reveal clever musical and instrumental moments that draw me back in again. Though the lyrics left me wishing for more depth, Flores’s implementation of unexpected chord progressions, subtly robust instrumentals, and enchanting vocals continues to reel me in for another listen time and time again. She has made clear both her unique musical “voice,” and that it deserves to be listened to.