Robert Finley
Goin' Platinum!
Release Date: Dec 8, 2017
Genre(s): Pop, R&B, Blues
Record label: Nonesuch
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Album Review: Goin' Platinum! by Robert Finley
Very Good, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 4/5
A carpenter by trade, 64-year-old Robert Finley lost his sight a few years ago. A spot of busking in the right place at the right time led to this Louisiana bluesman's debut album, Age Don't Mean a Thing (2016). Now Finley's mighty pipes - honed during his time in an army band - have been co-opted by Dan "Black Keys" Auerbach for a lush, teak-panelled Nashville soul record.
Based on rating 3/5
T he Black Keys' Dan Auerbach calls Robert Finley "the greatest living soul singer". Thus, he has signed the 63-year-old to his label, produced him, written the songs (along with the likes of Nick Lowe and John Prine) and paired him with stellar musicians from Elvis sidemen to legendary "guitar man" Duane Eddy. The results are decidedly retro-modern - that bit too well produced to have been authentically blaring out of a roadside bar in the 1960s - but are steeped in blues and soul and a lot of fun.
Opinion: Excellent
GEATER DAVIS, born Vernon Davis in Kountze, Texas, in 1942 possessed one of the most gritty, expressive voices in Southern soul. He was also blessed with impressive songwriting skills to match. Most akin to his pal Bobby Bland, he mixed blues, soul and the church on his awe-inspiring 1971 debut Sweet Woman's Love (**** Bear Family). A genuine lost classic, it was recorded in Birmingham, Alabama, with producer Allen Orange - who founded the House Of Orange label to issue Davis' material.
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