(BHM) North Louisiana singer/songwriter Robert Finley has announced his eagerly awaited new album, Hallelujah! Don't Let The Devil Fool Ya, arriving via Easy Eye Sound on Friday, October 10.
Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville, Finley's fourth album for Easy Eye Sound sees Bernice, LA's favorite son infusing the sacred sounds of gospel into his already unique take on the blues, soul, and R&B. Highlights include the deeply spiritual new single, "Helping Hand," available now as a "Complete My Album" track.
Hailed by FLOOD for its "simmering '70s psych-funk guitar melodies, hand percussion, and stirring vocals," the track is joined by an official music video, directed by filmmaker Tim Hardiman (John Anderson, Blake Shelton) and streaming now on YouTube.
"Making a gospel record was the first thing I ever wanted to do," says Robert Finley. "I've had at least one gospel song on each album, and I even did a gospel song on America's Got Talent. One of the guys said he didn't know if it was the type of crowd for that, but some of those people were in tears."
Like most Finley recording sessions, Hallelujah! Don't Let The Devil Fool Ya, came together with startling speed. Backed by an all-star combo featuring Auerbach and fellow guitarist Barrie Cadogan (Little Barrie, Primal Scream, The The), drummer Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics, Madlib, DJ Shadow), bassist Tommy Brenneck, and keyboardist Ray Jacildo, along with call-and-response vocal support from his daughter, singer Christy Johnson, the album was fully improvised and tracked not in a month, not in a week, but in a furiously fruitful single day.
"Back in the day when Robert played for tips, he'd ask people questions and improvise songs for them on the spot," says Dan Auerbach. "That was the method, and that was the way, and choosing that direction - everything improvised, playing, singing and writing off the cuff - sparked a session of divinely inspired creativity, because letting the spirit move him is a trademark of Finley's creative process."
"Dan was like, 'Okay, Robert. Sing something,'" Finley says. "It's scripture. The good Lord said, 'If you open your mouth, I'll speak for you.'"
Finley and his band will celebrate the impending arrival of Hallelujah! Don't Let The Devil Fool Ya with a top-billed festival appearance at New Haven, CT's CT Folk Festival on September 10, followed by a headline tour of Europe/UK beginning October 4 at London's Islington Assembly Hall and then making stops in France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Lithuania.
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