After three independently released EPs and one full-length album, songwriter, singer, and guitarist Liana Flores has delivered a new release that fully showcases her charming voice and idiosyncratic songwriting. Co-produced by Flores and the respected, Grammy-nominated Paul Butler, And So It Goes is a scant 16 minutes of great-sounding, bossa nova-infused pop that impresses and tantalizes.
The title track immediately shows its bossa nova ID with the characteristic finger-style bum-de-bum-bum of the guitar, recorded with warm, room reverb. Born to an English father and Brazilian mother, Flores is exploring her maternal roots on this record. Her sophisticated chord voicings, a hallmark of the bossa style, pair perfectly with songs that, from her earliest recordings, have been characterized by long melodies with vague tonal centres that allow, indeed invite, unexpected musical diversions.
Pure bossa “And So It Goes” takes us back to lazy beach afternoons. “The planet spins,” Flores sings, “The river flows / And so it goes, and so it goes”, seemingly without a care. Then, with infusions of Portuguese, the speaker reveals a sobering story of romantic loss: “Sem você, vou sonhar e vou me mover”, translated as “Without you, I will dream, and I will move”, because “Que mais tem pra fazer?”, in English, “What else is there to do?” With syncopated rim shots and the familiar 16th-note rattle of the cabasa, this is a refreshing dip into the past.
The second single, “Silvershoes”, jacks up the tempo, featuring busy brushed drums and slapped double bass driving the beat hard. It also has another Flores characteristic: her wide range of wordless vocalizations that serve throughout the record as another instrument. The track takes us from the beach to the Rio nightclub with stylish lyrics spilling out in syncopated sprays. Under the glamor, the speaker is an ordinary person daydreaming about life as a star. To keep the live-room vibe, the rhythmic piano stabs and the guitar are hard-panned in Butler’s modern/retro mix.
Reminiscent of a James Bond theme, the mysterious and coldly cool “Gemini” features an undulating flute solo and the distinctive 1960s sound of a Wurlitzer electronic piano. The speaker is a cynical Bond girl, except the script is flipped, with her being the one in control of a temporary romance. She asks, “You wouldn’t ask the summer to stay”, then, “Come back, I didn’t mean that way.” She continues, “You know that my heart is my guide / But it comes and goes like the tide / But I’m looking for something to do / So now I follow you.”
“So Mysterious” is airy and cosmopolitan, with more than a hint of Pink Martini, and features multiple voices, with Flores effortlessly cruising in and out of her head voice to showcase her range. With the elaborate arrangements of many vocal parts, I was reminded of the great vocal group the Fifth Dimension.
Besides her Brazilian background, Flores is also influenced by the English folk renaissance of the 1960s, with Vashti Bunyan often mentioned in her press. This connection is most noticeable on the last two cuts. In “Here to Stay”, Flores channels Sade‘s confident and effortlessly hip delivery.
The final track on this oh-too-short record, “The Way I Say Goodbye”, stands out stylistically from the others as a traditional pop ballad. It reminds me of the Carpenters, with Flores’ voice starting low in her register the way Karen used to, and with her brother Richard’s expansive arrangement style.
Flores makes a seamless transition from her previous record, Flower of the Soul (2024), where her English folk influences are easy to hear. Still present is her unique songwriting style. Flores makes every song a musical journey with unexpected twists and turns. Her lyrics combine wry commentary with heartfelt honesty.
The biggest change is that these new songs feel more focused and self-assured, and her influences have largely been overshadowed by the emergence of a more fully formed, unique artist. There is also a greater focus in the arrangements and in the stylish production. And So It Goes wraps Liana Flores’ high-quality songs and outstanding singing in a modern, sophisticated pop mantle.