Sharecropper’s Son (Robert Finley) – music review

That same year, he was discovered busking in Arkansas by a non-profit working with aging blues musicians, Music Maker Relief Foundation, and Finley released his debut album, Age Don’t Mean a Thing. Finley hooked up with Auerbach and the two collaborated on the 2017 release, Goin’ Platinum! In ’19, Finley sang his song, “Get It While You Can,” before being eliminated in in the semi-final stage of “America’s Got Talent,” and now he’s back with his third album.

Sharecropper’s Son gives Finley a chance to sing his biography, and tells “My Story” in song. In the opening track, “Souled Out On You”, Finley shows off his withering falsetto and his graceful soul singer chops, backed by solid horn section and Auerbach’s bluesy guitar solo. And in the best blues’ man tradition, Finley describes his hard knock life in a series of auto-biographical tales like the title track so that the fact that he’s not only survived but thrived can be a source of inspiration for others: “you can start dreaming too.”

Being a “Sharecropper’s Son,” meant lots of hard work, but singing made that work bearable, for a “Country Child” who’s also a “Country Boy.” Together Finley and Auerbach, and the capable stable of blues players and soulful horns, make good American music together, and the result is soulful, solid, and punctuated by optimism. “All My Hope” closes the record, taking us back to church, where Finley has found strength to believe a joyful life is possible, and if that ever fails, he’ll still have the blues.