ROBERT FINLEY RELEASES NEW SINGLE SNEAKIN’ AROUND
ROBERT FINLEY RELEASES SNEAKIN’ AROUND
SOULFUL SINGLE FROM NEW ALBUM BLACK BAYOU
OUT OCTOBER 27 VIA EASY EYE SOUND
FINLEY IS THE EPITOME OF SMOLDERING COOLNESS
IN NEW MUSIC VIDEO
WATCH HERE AND LISTEN HERE
69 YEAR’S YOUNG SINGER-SONGWRITER STAR RETURNS
WITH DAN AUERBACH-PRODUCED ALBUM - A SWAGGERING TOUR DE FORCE OF BLUES, SOUL, AND FUNK SHARING STORIES FROM THE SWAMPS OF LOUISIANA
EASY EYE SOUND JUKE JOINT JAM SHOW WITH THE BLACK KEYS, JIMMY “DUCK” HOLMES, AND MORE ON AUGUST 9 AT NASHVILLE'S BROOKLYN BOWL
Sneakin’ Around dazzles with Finley swagger, his formidable vocals musing on stories of deception and deceit, soundtracked by a laid back groove, funky guitar chops and a R&B horn line straight out of Hitsville USA. Finley shares, “Whatever is in the dark is gonna come to the light, so don’t play around.”
On Sneakin’ Around, Brooklyn Vegan praised, “It's a funky, bluesy song fueled by Robert's soulful Southern grit."
Finley recorded Black Bayou at Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville. It’s the fourth time the duo have worked together, although for this record they did things a little differently. Rather than write songs beforehand—as they did on 2017’s Goin’ Platinum and 2021’s Sharecropper’s Son—they devised everything in the studio, with Auerbach leading a band of some of the finest players around: drummers Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) and Jeffrey Clemens (G. Love & Special Sauce), bassist Eric Deaton, and legendary Hill Country blues guitarist Kenny Brown along with vocalists Christy Johnson and LaQuindrelyn McMahon—who just happen to be Finley’s daughter and granddaughter. They worked quickly, devising their parts spontaneously and getting everything in one take.
Black Bayou, is a portrait of North Louisiana from an insider who’s lived there all his life. It coalesces all of the vibrant genres bubbling in the bayou from southern soul, jazz, folk, blues, rock and roll and more. A vivid collection of songs that depict life in North Louisiana, with Finley playing the role of charismatic and knowledgeable tour guide. Tales include surviving the jaws of an alligator on Alligator Bait, a true story of his grandfather using him as bait to catch an alligator when he was a child. Nobody Wants To Be Lonely is a poignant track spotlighting the generation forgotten in nursing homes across the nation. Songs like Miss Kitty, a tale of lust and love are an instant induction into the canon of the blues tradition. In all, a collection set to establish Finley as perhaps one of the last true bluesmen of our time and a truly original Louisiana storyteller who evokes the place and its unique culture for the rest of the world.
“It’s amazing to realize how much of an impact Louisiana has had on the world’s music,” says Dan Auerbach, “And Robert embodies all of that. He can play a blues song. He can play early rock and roll. He can play gospel. He can do anything, and a lot of that has to do with where he’s from.”
If Finley’s previous albums established him as a formidable blues and soul artist - overcoming losing his sight in his 60s to become a music star - Black Bayou Finley hopes will help put North Louisiana on the musical map and launch the next generation of stars. Finley still plays small clubs around the region—even the occasional nursing home. Rather than move to where the music industry is, Finley is bringing the industry down to Bernice and working to boost regional acts and has plans for a new local recording studio in the works. “We got a lot of good talent down here in North Louisiana, but nobody’s really done much with it.” Finley stated, adding, “A lot of people just haven’t had the opportunity to record—or even just be heard. It worked for me, so I might as well try to help someone else get discovered, too.”
TOUR DATES:
November 4 - Groningen, NL - Take Root Festival
November 5 - Brussels, BE - Rotonde @ Botanique
November 8 - London, UK - Jazz Café
November 9 - Manchester, UK - Blues Kitchen
November 10 - Pandrup, DK - Blues Heaven Festival
November 14 - Toulouse, FR - Salle Nougaro
November 15 - Saint-Nazaire, FR - VIP
November 16 - Amiens, FR - La Lune des Pirates
November 18 - Šumperk, CZ - Blues Alive Festival
November 20 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix
November 21 - Paris, FR - Maroquinerie
November 23 - La Roche-Sur-Yon, FR - Quai M
November 24 - La Rochelle, FR - La Sirène
November 25 - Castres, FR - Lo Boegason
November 26 - Saint-Etienne, FR - Le Fil
DOWNLOAD - Album Art | DOWNLOAD - Press Photo
About Robert Finley:
Robert is an army veteran and was a skilled carpenter before losing his sight in his 60s, which led him to finally pursue his musical dream. Finley has overcome divorce, house fires, an automobile accident and is now legally blind following losing his sight due to the medical condition, glaucoma, which forced him to retire from carpentry and finally pursue his long delayed music career. Finley believes his sight was improved by the power of prayer, and Finley’s faith has also helped him focus on launching his music career in his 60’s. According to Finley, “losing my sight gave me the perspective to see my true destiny.”
His ascent has been swift. His previous Auerbach-produced album, Goin’ Platinum, received widespread critical acclaim including Associated Press who praised Finley’s ability to lend “instant credibility to any song.” Finley also toured more than 10 countries, and his live show drew praise from publications including The New York Times. Finley was profiled on PBS NewsHour, which led to him becoming a contestant on the 2019 season of the TV competition, America’s Got Talent, reaching the semi-finals.
He was born in Winnsboro in 1953, but has spent most of his life in Bernice, a small town of about 1,600 souls just 30 miles from the Arkansas border. After serving in the Army, he played blues in juke joints and sang gospel in churches around the region, often mixing those two styles with southern soul, heavy rock, swamp pop, jazz, and anything else that crossed his mind. His second album, Sharecropper’s Son, was inspired by Finley's childhood: his family were sharecroppers, and he was unable to regularly attend school and often worked with his family in the field picking cotton. This was a landmark release, landing him the cover of SPIN Magazine, NPR Morning amongst other critical acclaim.
He’s since headlined shows with The Black Keys, Greta Van Fleet, Nathaniel Rateliff and many more.