If It's Too Loud...

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...