Louisiana soul, gospel, roots singer/songwriter Robert Finley was an army veteran and a skilled carpenter before losing his sight to glaucoma in his 60’s which pushed him to finally pursue his long-delayed musical dream. After decades of performing mostly in obscurity, he released his 2016 debut studio album, Age Don’t Mean a Thing which caught Dan Auerbach’s (Black Keys, Arcs) ear and lead to his critically acclaimed 2017 sophomore release Goin’ Platinum! on Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label. Finley’s recent recording success led him to be a contestant on the fourteenth season of America’s Got Talent in 2019 in which he was a semi-finalist. With Sharecropper’s Son, Finley returns to Auerbach’s label where they kick things up a notch with Finley’s autobiographical songs of hard luck, wrecked love, spirituality, empathy, and redemption, all imbued with a fuller, more rugged sound. Auerbach’s production successfully reflects Finley’s spiritual beliefs and emotional truths without injecting his own sound into the music. Album highlights include: the heartbreaking opener “Souled Out on You”; the swampy blues number “Country Boy”; the reflective soul-gospel song “My Story”; the infectious track “Make Me Feel Alright”; the soulful jam “Starting to See”; the thoughtful slow-burner “I Can Feel Your Pain”; the horn soaked New Orleans style R&B track “Better Than I Treat Myself”; and the gospel hymn “All My Hope” which closes the album out. Robert Finley’s vocals on Sharecropper’s Son shine with the adversities he has overcome, his life experiences, and gratitude. – Written by JFelton
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