If It's Too Loud...

The music of Robert Finley tends to be classic and timeless, but his latest exemplifies that statement' "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a slow soul and blues jam that sounds like it could have been released anytime in the past sixty years. The only factor that shows it's a more modern song is that you can hear all sixty-nine of Finley's years in his voice. That isn't meant as a negative, as the grit in his vocals just adds to the mood of the song. We tend to go a little nuts over neo-soul here at If It's Too Loud... if it's done right, and no one is doing it better than Robert Finley. Robert Finley says of his new single: “This song is about the many people who have been forgotten.  Their kids drop them off and go with their lives. I go down occasionally and perform at the old folks home in Bernice. Just take my guitar and play for thirty minutes or so, try to get them to dance, try to bring some joy to them.” You can watch the video for "Nobody Wa...

Photo by Jim Herrington Robert Finley, the sixty-nine year old Louisiana soul singer who turned to a career in music after leaving carpentry after going blind, is back with a new single. "You Got It (And I Need It)," is exactly what we want from Finley. The Dan Auerbach produced song has a dirty blues sound mixed with Finley's soul vocals. It's the kind of song that will instantly grab you. This isn't a traditional blues or soul song, despite Finley's gravelly vocals being completely timeless. The guitar in "You Got It (And I Need It)" has that early 00's garage rock revival mixed with psychedelia sound. It's a perfect mixture, and Finley was a definite winner on his hands. You can listen to "You Got It (And I Need It)" below. Black Bayou is due out October 27 on Easy Eye Sound, and is available to pre-order here . For more on Robert Finley, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Jim Herrington Sixty-nine year old Robert Finley has a new DanAuerbach produced album coming out, and the new single off of it is going to be perfect for fans of 2021's Sharecroper's Son . "Sneakin' Around" is just pure Louisiana blues and soul. Finley's voice just has a natural grit to it which fits Auerbach's slick production perfectly. It's a sound that is timeless, sounding both vintage and modern at the same time. If you have a shred of soul in you, you're going to love "Sneakin' Around." Even if you're not normally a fan of blues, R&B, or any variety of Americana, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. You can watch the video for "Sneakin' Around" below. Black Bayou is due out October 27 on Easy Eye Sound, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Robert Finley, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023 - Nashville, Tn - Bro...

Photo by Jim Herrington I absolutely loved Robert Finley's 2021 Dan Auerbach produced Sharecropper's Son. The army veteran/former carpenter lost his vision in his sixties and started up his dream of making music. His latest single, "What Goes Around (Comes Around)," is this absolutely perfect dirty blues song with fuzzed out guitars. Of course, the true centerpiece of any of Finley's songs is Finley himself. The man just has this perfect voice for singing the blues. It's smooth but with just a little edge to it, and when he's singing it's impossible not to pay full attention. It's obvious to make comparisons to The Black Keys due to Auerbach's involvement, so I'll say that this sounds like when The Black Keys just started to smooth out their sound, and just before they blew up to play arenas.  Robert Finley says of his new single: “You gotta reap what you sow... do to another what you would have done to you. Be real, tell the truth. For all...

Considering Robert Finley spent part of September opening for The Black Keys in arenas, getting to see him in a tiny venue like The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint was a special treat. I'm always going to find any show in a venue that doubles as a restaurant to be a little strange, and this was definitely a unique show, but in some of the best possible ways. I&R, the band led by Providence based musician Josh Cournoyer, have been doubling as Finley's backing band and opener on this run of dates, and they took the stage at 10:00 pm sharp. They started playing to literally no reaction from the crowd. That was strange, since I've never seen a band start playing to absolutely no applause, but there's a first time for everything I suppose. Since they were billed as the opening act, I assumed they were going to play a short set, take a break, and then return with Finley for the headliner set. After a minute or so of them playing, Finley was led to the stage to start ...

A lot has been made of Robert Finley's backstory, and that's because it's more interesting than 99% of the bands that we cover here. Finley became an overnight soul sensation at the age of sixty seven. At that point, he has lived through a divorce, house fires (yes, plural), and had to give up carpentry due to losing his sight. His latest single, "Sharecropper's Son," is a soul/blues stomper about growing up as the son of sharecroppers. It's about how hard that life was, but it's also a celebration of that life. Despite the accomplished musicians producer Dan Auerbach assembled for the album, the focus is on Finley's vocals. His voice is both weathered and beautiful. He has the kind of voice you can't help but get sucked in by, and why would you ever try to resist it? Robert Finley says of the song: “ I’m born to tell my story and where I come from. Even though the cotton fields weren’t a pleasant place to be, it was real and a part of my life....

It's not very often a sixty seven year old singer can be considered a new discovery, but that's just how it is with Robert Finley. While always being a singer and performer, Finley didn't truly start his musical career until he lost his sight and had to give up working as a carpenter. He released his debut studio album in 2016. Now he has new music coming out, including his latest single, "Country Boy." Called "the greatest living soul singer," this new song is a funky country/soul hybrid. Country isn't normally known for being funky, but Finley makes it so. It's the kind of song that all music fans are going to be into, whether you hate country, love country, or hate soul or love soul. "Country Boy" may be genre specific, but it's appeal is going to cross all genres. You can watch the video for "Country Boy" below. Sharecropper's Son, produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, is due out May 21 on Easy Eye Sound. You...

We bring you a lot of neo-soul, but not too much actual soul. Robert Finley has been called "America's greatest living soul singer," and when you hear "Souled Out on You" it's going to be impossible to argue that. An army veteran who grew up in the Jim Crow South, Finley worked as a carpenter until he lost his sight due to glaucoma in his 60's. That is when he started his musical career. "Souled Out on You" is a powerful ballad propelled by Finley's voice. He goes between a falsetto and a deep growl throughout the song. It's impossible not to hear all of Finley's hardships in his voice, and even more impossible not to be completely enraptured by his new song. Robert Finley explains the new song: “Souled Out On You,” is “ the story of a relationship that's ending.  It’s about someone who takes on everything in the relationship. All the good and the bad and even after all of that, they notice that it just isn’t going to work out a...