Robert Finley at the FEQ: great seduction successful

What a flamboyant and endearing character that Robert Finley is. The 68-year-old American bluesman took only a few seconds when he arrived on the stage at the Place de l’Assemblée-Nationale on Sunday evening to achieve his great seduction on Quebec soil with flying colors.

Not only does his blues rock repertoire produced by the Black Keys Dan Auerbach, and it can often be heard, compares without embarrassment with the big names of the genre, but this proud Louisianan is an amazing performer.

Auerbach was quite right to say that « as soon as he returns somewhere, it’s the Robert Finley show ».

On Sunday, he did the trick to amazed festival-goers. Legally blind, he arrived holding on to his daughter and backing vocalist Christy Johnson then immediately thanked the crowd, a wide smile lighting up his face.

“I am in the right place in the right place”, confided this old sage before embarking on a thrilling interpretation of Sharecropper’s Sonone of many autobiographical pieces from his most recent album of the same name.

You should then see him squat all the time, swaying his hips, while swinging his songs with his voice from which emanates a lifetime of hard work and, surely, of whiskey.

To think that this guy, a former army carpenter and mechanic, was discovered late in life and only released his first album at the age of 62.

During Souled Out On You, he engaged in striking vocal acrobatics. No matter his venerable age, no grade was too high for him.

Grateful, he confessed to living “his childhood dream”, which did not prevent him from sharing the reflectors with his daughter. This one, also endowed with an exceptional voice, conquered the crowd with her cover inspired by the classic Tennessee Whiskey.

The rest of the concert seemed to go by at lightning speed, as the pleasure was there. “I love you,” he shouted as he left. No one doubted his sincerity.

Malika Tirolien: hovering at all levels

“My album is called Higher for several reasons, including this one,” said Montreal artist of Guadeloupe origin Malika Tirolien, programmed before Robert Finley, before leaning under his piano to light up a joint.

She then ventured into a mind-blowing and psychedelic interpretation of Pray, highlight of the performance of the 39-year-old artist. Equally at ease with jazz, soul and R&B tones, Malika Tirolien has also shown that she has a convincing and assertive rapping flow, which she uses sparingly, but wisely, when she has important things to say. .

« Do we have any women here tonight? » It’s time to make our voices heard ”, implored the one who teamed up with four musicians and two singers.

Note that some of them were on their second performance of this FEQ 2022 since they participated in Charlotte Cardin’s concert on the opening night.

Miro: tribute to Karim

At suppertime, in a relaxed atmosphere in perfect symbiosis with his musical universe, Quebecer Miro pulled all the right strings.

If it was presumptuous on his part to announce that it risked « stirring up slightly », it must be admitted that his mixture of pop, R&B, soul and jazz, to which he added a few rock spices, rallied a participative audience. , who had fun chanting his name.

In addition to playing the majority of the titles of his albums behind my life and hourglassMiro answered the call to pay tribute to the late Karim Ouellet by offering him a touching cover of his Marie-Jo.

He was also grateful to the spectators. “Thank you very much for coming to see Franco music. It is thanks to you that there will be a great cultural recovery here. »