No way is Flo Morrissey only 20 years old. Her voice is at least two decades older than that, the same way Dusty Springfield—another British singer who seemed to instinctively understand the nuances of American soul vocals—sounded like a practiced instrument dropped into the body of a performer who had no business carrying it around, chronologically speaking.
Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful wants you to hear it in terms of the late-’60s psychedelic-folk idiom (check the soft-focus cover shot and clean guitar production). But make no mistake: This is a soul singer’s album all the way, the hat trick of “Sleeplessly Dreaming,” “Betrayed” and the irresistibly titled “I Only Like His Hat Not Him” being all the proof you need. And it’s a happy throwback in other ways, too. Once upon a time, this was how the best singers were produced—minimal effects, maybe a little reverb, and fuck Auto-Tune right in its cheap plastic ear. Here’s an artist who should have a lot of good work ahead of her.
—Eric Waggoner
