Robert Finley’s Hallelujah! Don’t Let the Devil Fool Ya is a testament to the raw power of gospel-infused blues, soul, and funk, delivered with the spontaneity only a street-seasoned musician could muster. Produced by Dan Auerbach, this fifth Easy Eye Sound release sees Finley stepping fully into gospel territory, yet he refuses to be bound by tradition. Across eight tracks, he improvises vocally and lyrically, leaning on a tight-knit band and call-and-response interplay with his daughter Christy Johnson to give the songs their dynamic drive.
Recorded in essentially one day, the album thrives on immediacy. From the opener “I Wanna Thank You,” with its rough-hewn guitar riffs and infectious groove, to the funk-tinged hand-clapped rhythms of “Praise Him” and “Holy Ghost Party,” the music feels both organic and electric. Finley’s improvised delivery carries the authority of a preacher but with the playfulness and grit of a bluesman who has lived through life’s highs and lows. The backing musicians—Malcolm Cato on drums, Barrie Cadogan and Finley on guitar, Tommy Rennick on bass, and Ray Jacinto on keys—lock into a flexible yet propulsive groove that allows the vocals to soar.
The album straddles the sacred and secular with ease. On “His Love,” a slow, soul-infused ballad, the listener could almost mistake the song for a classic romantic number until Finley’s devotion becomes clear. Conversely, tracks like “Can’t Take My Joy” and “On the Battlefield” verge on trance-like jams, pushing gospel into bluesy, almost psychedelic terrain. There’s a physicality to the music, a feeling that the rhythm seeps into the body, echoing the ecstatic energy of a revival without ever feeling overbearing.
Perhaps most striking is Finley’s vocal presence. His gruff, gravelly delivery carries both reverence and revelry, conveying joy, gratitude, and conviction all at once. The father-daughter interplay on backing vocals adds warmth and depth, reinforcing the communal spirit central to gospel while maintaining the improvisational thrill of a live performance. Even as some grooves stretch long, there’s never a sense of stagnation—the energy is relentless but measured, a testament to the intuitive chemistry of the ensemble.
Hallelujah! Don’t Let the Devil Fool Ya is an album of exuberance and authenticity, where gospel, blues, soul, and funk coalesce into something uniquely Finley. It’s celebratory, heartfelt, and unapologetically improvised—a musical sermon that is as much about feel and spirit as it is about structure. At 71, Finley proves again that he is a singular voice in American roots music, capable of commanding attention with both grit and grace. – Jason Felton
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drSHXKPVzOk&list=RDdrSHXKPVzOk&start_radio=1