Released through 33rd Street and Funkigirl Records and distributed by Bayside Entertainment on February 24, 2004 in the United States, the album marked the band's debut with the label as well as their first full-length release to feature vocals by new band member Rhona Bennett who had joined remaining founding members Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron the year before following the departure of Amanda Cole, resulting into the partial re-recording of several songs on Soul Flower that Cole had originally lent her voice to.

The trio reteamed with longtime contributors Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy to work on most of the album, with additional production coming from Troy Johnson, Dwayne Morgan, Phillips Scott, Marlon McClain, and songwriting collective Trackheadz.

In 2000, En Vogue released their fourth studio album Masterpiece Theatre, their second project as a trio following the departure of original member Dawn Robinson in 1997.

David Jeffries from AllMusic felt that the album "benefits from more of an eye on the groove than on the charts and better than ever tricks from longtime producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy."

Altogether, Soul Flower produced two singles, including "Losin' My Mind" and "Ooh Boy," the latter of which reached Billboard's Bubbling Under charts.