Robert Finley releases his anticipated fourth studio album Black Bayou, an 11-track tour de force that coalesces gospel, blues, soul, and rock into a raw, thundering tribute to Finley’s home state of Louisiana. Telling tales of the bayou from childhood to now, the 69-year old Finley takes listeners on a journey that showcases his growly vocals, sultry falsetto and cements him as a living legend.
Watch Finley’s new music video for “Waste Of Time,” filmed at Easy Eye Studios and featuring appearances from The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach. The video is a snapshot of the creation of the album, set to the gristly, crunchy, swaggering blues number from Black Bayou.
Listen to Black Bayou HERE
Black Bayou has already been heaped with praise from SPIN, The FADER, American Songwriter, UNCUT, Paste, MOJO, Brooklyn Vegan and a slew of other outlets, including The Bluegrass Situation who have hailed Finley as their Artist of the Month for November. Finley recently performed the new album on CBS Saturday Morning, giving a rousing performance of his singles “What Goes Around (Comes Around)” , “Sneakin’ Around”, and “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely.”
Finley recorded Black Bayou at Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville. It’s the fourth time the duo have worked together, although for this record they did things a little differently. Rather than write songs beforehand—as they did on 2017’s Goin’ Platinum and 2021’s Sharecropper’s Son—they conceived everything in the studio, with Auerbach leading a band of some of the finest players around: drummers Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) and Jeffrey Clemens (G. Love & Special Sauce), bassist Eric Deaton, and legendary Hill Country blues guitarist Kenny Brown along with vocalists Christy Johnson and LaQuindrelyn McMahon—who just happen to be Finley’s daughter and granddaughter. They worked quickly, devising their parts spontaneously and getting everything in one take.
Black Bayou is a portrait of North Louisiana from an insider who’s lived there all his life. It coalesces all of the vibrant genres bubbling in the bayou from southern soul, jazz, folk, blues, rock and roll and more. A vivid collection of songs that depict life in North Louisiana, with Finley playing the role of charismatic and knowledgeable tour guide. Tales include surviving the jaws of an alligator on “Alligator Bait,” a true story of his grandfather using him as bait to catch an alligator when he was a child. Songs like “Miss Kitty,” a tale of lust and love are an instant induction into the canon of the blues tradition. In all, a collection set to establish Finley as perhaps one of the last true bluesmen of our time and a truly original Louisiana storyteller who evokes the place and its unique culture for the rest of the world.
“It’s amazing to realize how much of an impact Louisiana has had on the world’s music,” says Dan Auerbach, “and Robert embodies all of that. He can play a blues song. He can play early rock and roll. He can play gospel. He can do anything, and a lot of that has to do with where he’s from.”
If Finley’s previous albums established him as a formidable blues and soul artist - overcoming losing his sight in his 60s to become a music star - Black Bayou, Finley hopes, will help put North Louisiana on the musical map and launch the next generation of stars. Finley still plays small clubs around the region—even the occasional nursing home. Rather than move to where the music industry is, Finley is bringing the industry down to Bernice and working to boost regional acts and has plans for a new local recording studio in the works. “We got a lot of good talent down here in North Louisiana, but nobody’s really done much with it.” Finley stated, adding, “A lot of people just haven’t had the opportunity to record—or even just be heard. It worked for me, so I might as well try to help someone else get discovered, too.”
Robert Finley will begin his tour in support of Black Bayou in Europe at the top of November. Full list of dates below.
Tracklist
01. Livin' Out A Suitcase
02. Sneakin' Around
03. Miss Kitty
04. Waste Of Time
05. Can't Blame Me For Trying
06. Gospel Blues
07. Nobody Wants To Be Lonely
08. What Goes Around (Comes Around)
09. Lucky Day
10. You Got It (And I Need It)
11. Alligator Bait
Tour dates:
Friday, 3 November 2023 - Kaiserslautern, Germany - Kammgarn with Kai Strauss
Saturday, 4 November 2023 - Groningen, NL - Take Root Festival
Sunday, 5 November 2023 - Brussels, BE - Rotonde @ Botanique
Wednesday, 8 November 2023 - London, UK - Jazz Café
Thursday, 9 November 2023 - Manchester, UK - Blues Kitchen
Friday, 10 November 2023 - Pandrup, DK - Blues Heaven Festival
Tuesday, 14 November 2023 - Toulouse, FR - Salle Nougaro
Wednesday, 15 November 2023 - Saint-Nazaire, FR - VIP
Thursday, 16 November 2023 - Amiens, FR - La Lune des Pirates
Saturday, 18 November 2023 - Šumperk, CZ - Blues Alive Festival
Monday, 20 November 2023 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix
Tuesday, 21 November 2023 - Paris, FR - Maroquinerie
Thursday, 23 November 2023 - La Roche-Sur-Yon, FR - Quai M
Friday, 24 November 2023 - La Rochelle, FR - La Sirène
Saturday, 25 November 2023 - Castres, FR - Lo Boegason
Sunday, 26 November 2023 - Saint-Etienne, FR - Le Fil
