ANNIE & THE CALDWELLS - Can’t Lose My (Soul)

The Lord's ways are infinite and for Annie Caldwell they're also mysteriously intertwined with the fate of music itself. For over forty years, Annie has been the beating heart of a family gospel group that resonates throughout the Mississippi area. With husband Joe on guitar, their four children and a goddaughter splitting duties between vocals and instruments, their music comes alive every weekend, when the daily grind gives way to faith and rhythm.

But Annie's story reaches back even further. Before marrying Joe, she had been part of the Staples Jr. Singers, a group that recorded an album in 1974 destined to fade into obscurity. Then fate wove its thread: that forgotten record resurfaced thanks to Greg Belson, a DJ and collector who, in 2019, included a track from the album on one of his compilations. The music made its way all the way to David Byrne, who got in touch with Annie, discovering that she had never stopped singing.

Out of that rediscovery came the idea for a new album collecting the best of the family band's output, readapted and rearranged.

The record, "Can't Lose My (Soul)", was recorded in West Point, right next to Annie and Joe's home, in the back of a church turned for the occasion into a mobile recording studio.

The opening track "Wrong" was also chosen as the album's lead single. Exuberant and upbeat, dealing with marital infidelity and the temptations of Satan, it pulls us in with an immediate, infectious chorus built on a solid rhythmic arrangement. Next comes the title track, a towering piece running over ten minutes, built along typically soul lines. Here, the vocal interplay between mother and daughters is handled with great attention to detail, creating a dynamic that shifts between tight sections and more rarefied moments.

"I Made It" introduces a stylistic shift with a funk imprint drawn from the '70s. The track stands out for its accessible feel and its ability to sustain a steady energy, right up to a finale where the bass takes centre stage with a fluid, enveloping line, showing off top-tier technical skill.

On the B-side, the album slows down but gains in depth. The compositions move toward a denser soul sound rooted in Southern tradition, with looser arrangements and room for improvisation that lends a sense of spontaneity and authenticity. The closing "Dear Lord" is one last funk-fuelled surge addressed directly to the Lord. Here, the energy gradually builds back up, pulling the listener into a finale that sounds like a return to the light.

If this record can't be called a masterpiece, then it's hard to imagine what other word could possibly do it justice.

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29/03/2025