Robert Finley titled his first album Age Don’t Mean a Thing. The singer and guitarist was obviously aiming to make a point, since that 2016 debut came when he was 62 years old. And what a debut it was, introducing a soul-blues man whose music burst with a raw vitality and a wisdom that reflected a life of stubborn faith and resilience. (After serving in the Army, Finley worked as a carpenter until advancing glaucoma forced him to give that up and he turned back to music.)
Since that debut, co-produced by Jimbo Mathus on the Big Legal Mess label, the Louisiana native has been proving its title right, often drawing from his own life for sets such as Sharecropper’s Son and Black Bayou.
Finley’s new album is his fourth with the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach as producer, co-writer, and accompanist. The title, Hallelujah! Don’t Let the Devil Fool Ya, will lead you to believe it’s a gospel record, and it is in spirit and lyrical content. But the music is the same potent blend of soul, blues, and R&B that has fired Finley’s previous albums. All eight tracks were cut in one day, giving most of the music an even greater sense of primal urgency.
