Tomorrow's Daughter

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Appearing after a six-year recording layoff and an exodus from California to his home state of Nebraska, Matthew Sweet's 2017 album, Tomorrow Forever, was something of a "forward into the past" project, in which he reconnected with the sound and spirit of his '90s classics (particularly 1991's Girlfriend and 1993's Altered Beast) while lyrically touching upon a number of personal crises (most notably the death of his mother). Sweet recorded 38 songs for Tomorrow Forever, with 17 tunes making the final cut. Sweet sensibly didn't want to let all that extra material go to waste, and 2018's Tomorrow's Daughter is a companion piece that pulls 12 more songs from the Tomorrow Forever sessions. From a standpoint of quality songwriting, Tomorrow's Daughter is hardly a step down from the previous album; Sweet's gift for coming up with great melodies and memorable hooks does not fail him here, and the best stuff reveals he's still a master of the great tune with a shadowy undercurrent. "Lady Frankenstein," "Girl with Cat," "Show Me," and "Out of My Misery" are Matthew Sweet doing what he does best, and his glorious stacked harmonies are the perfect icing on the cake. However, Tomorrow's Daughter shares some of the flaws of its precursor. Sweet's home-brewed production lacks the sparkle and depth of his best work, and unlike his best '70s albums, he doesn't have a guitarist on hand of the caliber of Robert Quine or Richard Lloyd to give the performances an edgy push. There's nothing the least bit wrong with the guitar work from Sweet and his studio crew (including Jason Victor, John Moremen, and Paul Chastain), but there's a fine line between capable and inspired and these performances don't always cross it. But if Tomorrow's Daughter isn't a great Matthew Sweet album, it's most certainly a good one, featuring a batch of strong songs played with genuine skill and commitment by one of the most distinctive artists in contemporary power pop. If you liked Tomorrow Forever, you'll enjoy the sequel, and even if you missed the first installment, this is well worth a spin for pop obsessives. ~ Mark Deming