This is Robert Finley's first album, a childhood dream come true. But the carpenter-bluesman from Louisiana had to wait 62 years to see it happen though his was already a kind of legend for blues aficionados who had been lucky enough to see him play.
In 2015, Finley was recognized legally blind and had to retire from carpentry. The Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports aging traditional American music artists, discovered Finley at a gig in Arkansas. The MMRF started to help him to make a musical comeback, finding tours and concerts for him, among which a great appearance with the Music Maker Revue at the prestigious Globalfest in New York City in 2016. And thanks to that, he was offered to record a first album.
In 2019, by an incomprehensible and ridiculous twist of fate, Finley even found himself dragged in the TV singing contest America's Got Talent where he made it to the semifinals (video below) !
To go back to this first album, let's say it straight : I don't like it ! Probably for wrong reasons. I explain : though this album is clearly labeled as a R&B and soul album, still I expected something closer to blues than this recording which is not at all representative of Finley reputation as a bluesman.
I wondered why and came to a personal explanation : probably too glad to be offered the opportunity of recording an album ― at last ! ―, Finley fell on the wrong producer, Bruce Watson, who chat him up (conned, if I may dare) into doing a 100% soul record. Recorded in Memphis with members of the BO-Keys soul band, and even if Finley wrote seven of the nine featured songs, it is a soul singer singing soul music thing. Exit the blues, I think Finley has been had !
Soul music fans will probably like it ; again, I don't. So I'm not going to bother detailing each track, I wouldn't be fair. The only one who really caught my hear (and my feet) is the funky James Brown-ques "Come On". But again, it's not really blues.
Remains Finley's great soulful raucous, gritty and hoarse voice : I can only wonder what a real blues album from the beard and hat man would sound like ! Fortunately such an album came out five years later : "Sharecroppers' Son" is, according to my modest personal taste, by very far a much better album than this one...
> A 71" audio interview in 2021 : > open in new tab
> At America's Got Talent semifinals in 2019 (go straight to minute 17"55 up to 20"30) : > open in new tab
> Finley's 1-hour set at the 2017 Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival in New Orleans : > open in new tab
> His 46" set at the "TransMusicales de Rennes" festival (France) in 2018 : > open in new tab
> Live from the New Orleans WOOZY radio in 2019 : > open in new tab
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