Robert Finley – Hallelujah! Don’t Let The Devil Fool Ya (Easy Eye)
At the age of 71, blues and soul veteran Robert Finley delivers an implausible third-act masterpiece with Hallelujah! Don’t Let The Devil Fool Ya. Producer Dan Auerbach once more guides Finley, steering him through a swampy, righteous blend of gospel and deep blues.
The album’s eight tracks collectively form a sermon—a lyrical record of Finley’s life, complete with all its strange twists and turns. The devotion here is overt, centred on his Lord and Saviour, prompting an essential question in the genre: Can the blues truly be an instrument of salvation? The legend of Robert Johnson suggests a bargain with the devil was required for his mastery; Finley posits an alternative path.
Finley’s own journey has the makings of a legend. After years as a street performer and a member of various soul groups, he nearly retired from music entirely. Yet, he was discovered in 2015, recording his debut album at the age of 62. This launched a career that has included a high-profile turn on America’s Got Talent and now, a collaboration with Auerbach that results in his sixth album.
The album immediately manifests its intent with I Wanna Thank You, built on a crack session band, a skipping beat, and a rich sonic tapestry: a blues lick on lead, rhythmic stabs, and a powerful gospel organ. The ecstatic mood is cemented by call-and-response vocals from his daughter, Christy Johnson. If this is worship music, it’s nothing short of awesome.
Devil’s Party escalates the tension. Finley, channelling an old-time revival preacher, shouts declarations over a frenzied, Wah-pedal-driven guitar. It’s a relentless track that only pauses for impact. Johnson supports him again, serving as a solo gospel choir. This supportive role is my one critique: her talent feels underutilized in a role that mostly consists of repeating her father’s lines. While I acknowledge the traditional structure of a choir supporting a preacher, I wish her contribution were less one-dimensional.
That minor quibble aside, the power of the sermon doesn’t fade. The emotional stakes are continually raised. Finley often touches upon his faith, either by offering thanks for pulling him out of his troubled past or, as on the track Helping Hand, by directly urging the listener to see his life as proof of what belief can achieve, encouraging them to immediately “get on the good foot with the Lord.”
His Love is, without question, the standout track. A beautiful torch song, it instantly deserves recognition as a modern standard. Its genius lies in its universal message: the lyrics easily shift from spiritual devotion to secular love, or from a parent’s bond to a partner’s passion. This emotional duality, paired with the powerful father-daughter call-and-response, elevates the song from wonderful to sublime.
The album’s tone dramatically shifts with Battlefield. The opening notes of the harmonica, clearly blues lifting its head above the gospel waters for the first time, immediately force a re-evaluation of the album thus far. What have we been hearing? Gospel? Soul? Blues? The sudden, stark difference makes the previous genres blur.
As the final track fades and preacher Robert Finley steps off his pulpit, you’re left with the unmistakable feeling of having been in the presence of a higher power. Whether you find salvation is up to you. All I can say is this: if the local church presented this every weekend, I’d be in the front row, hands aloft.
Rob Jones
Hallelujah! Don’t Let The Devil Fool Ya is out now on Easy Eye Records
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