Robert Finley – Black Bayou
Most blues aficionados often settle for any talent today that may perform the genre well but stay within the confines of the classics or well-known tunes.
Not Robert Finley. This fellow composes his own rootsy vintage stylized originals. It’s like discovering a whole batch of excellent blues never heard before. And it’s not contrived. The subjects are about typical blues, but the inventive lyrics lay out the groove in an incendiary manner. It doesn’t take long for the vibe to catch fire like gasoline spilled across a pine plank floor. Watching that blue hazy fume spread across the wood like honey drips down an upside-down silver spoon. Each tune is deftly balanced with little repetition & all whiskey-fueled juke joints fascinating. The polish is there but so is the raw North Louisiana blues tradition.
Finley captures it in 11 inspired tales of grit & urgency with precision & grace. Produced by Dan Auerbach (guitar/percussion/claps) & recorded in Nashville, TN Black Bayou (Dropped Oct 27–Easy Eye Sound/Concord) has guts that seethes with a heavy sprawling demeanor.
There’s a little of the vocal intonations of Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo in these tight storylines but the blues weave is all Finley. Robert reaches into his soul bucket for “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely” & it’s a potent one. The “You Got It (And I Need It),” is a brief novelty dip into Prince falsetto but when Robert ripens his smokey Ray Charles vocals against the coherent lead guitar – that’s where the magic thrives.
The coda “Alligator Bait,” is a J.J. Cale deep dive swamp-blues narrative with lots of atmosphere with what sounds like a lead guitar inspired by the late Roy Buchanan. There are some more commercial attempts in the set that seek out a wider audience but hey, even a good soda has to have some fizzle. The majority of these tunes are all 100% bourbon.
Highlights – “Sneakin’ Around,” “Miss Kitty,” “Waste of Time,” “Can’t Blame For Tryin’” “Gospel Blues,” “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely,” “You Got It (And I Need It)” & “Alligator Bait,”
Musicians – Sam Bacco (percussion), Kenny Brown (guitar), Patrick Carney & Jeffrey Clemens (drums), Eric Deaton (bass), Ray Jacildo (organ/Wurlitzer/piano), Tim Quine (harp), Jake Botts (baritone sax) & Ray Mason (trombone), Christy Johnson & LaQuindrelyn McMahon (bgv).
CD cover photo & color image by Jim Herrington. The 41-minute CD & song samples @ https://robertfinley.bandcamp.com/album/black-bayou & https://robertfinleyofficial.com/
