Sharecropper's Son

Sharecroppers Son is the third album from soul-gospel singer-songwriter Robert Finley, and his second collaboration with producer and co-writer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Between 2016s raw Age Dont Mean a Thing, 2017s wonderfully holistic Goin Platinum!, and the present, Finley got national visibility when he was invited to compete on Americas Got Talent. On Sharecroppers Son, Finley, producer Dan Auerbach, and their all-star studio cast pull out all the stops; they present this remarkable singer with an expansive yet rootsy musical palette. As the title suggests, Finley offers autobiographical songs filled with gritty tales of hard luck, wrecked love, spirituality, empathy, and redemption. Opener Souled Out on You is a tragic love story. Finleys first notes are delivered in a remarkable falsetto, buoyed by upright piano, sloping horns, shuffling drums, and stinging guitar. His searing voice is framed in production that loosely recalls Norman Whitfields psychedelic soul approach at Motown. Auerbachs ringing guitar breaks add a bluesy edge to the proceedings. Choogling swagger fuels Make Me Feel Alright which weds country-blues to soaring Southern soul and gritty barroom R&B as horns and drums underscore each line. Both Country Child and Country Boy are rooted in swampy blues and reflect the influence of Auerbachs work with Tony Joe White. The former unwinds with a midtempo shuffle as a distorted riff meets snaky single-string guitar work as Finley shifts between a growl, his falsetto, and a soul croon. The latter is a crawling swamp blues elevated by Finleys grainy falsetto as he reflects on the worlds pain and turmoil. His delivery nods to Curtis Mayfields signature phrasing as slide guitar and a simmering B-3 illuminate his words. The title track is introduced by a Wurlitzer piano before a popping bassline and snare shuffle introduce Finleys autobiographical testimony. He sounds like a backwoods gospel preacher supported by bleating baritone saxes as a wailing harmonica prods him on. My Story weds the aesthetics of Stax and Hi Records in a glorious meld of soul and gospel; Finleys vocal is rife with conviction. His singing on I Can Feel Your Pain channels Al Green, and his ballad style is less polished but no less adept at delivering uncommon emotional depth. Better Than I Treat Myself is a horn-drenched stroll through Allen Toussaints New Orleans R&B. Ringing, funky guitars slip atop snare breaks and rocking piano to frame Finleys joyous delivery. Closer All My Hope is a showcase for Finleys decades as a gospel singer, and its slow country guitar and Wurlitzer shuffle are elevated by a female chorus; Finley draws on their strength as he soars above the accompaniment. The nearly symbiotic pairing of Finley and Auerbach on Sharecroppers Son is deep and resonant. Finleys singing radiates with hard-won experience and gratitude, and his producer succeeds in reflecting that spiritual power and emotional honesty without self-reference or artifice. ~ Thom Jurek