THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “My family is my band,” proclaims Annie Caldwell, and she’s not kidding.
Annie & The Caldwells hail from West Point, Mississippi, and are led by Annie Caldwell (who sings) and her husband of 50 years, Willie Joe Caldwell, Sr. (who plays guitar). Also in the lineup are daughters Deborah Caldwell Moore and Anjessica Caldwell and goddaughter Toni Rivers on vocals. Their eldest son Willie Jr. Caldwell is on the bass and youngest son Abel Aquirius Caldwell is on drums.
Annie & The Caldwells generally play on weekends because they all have day jobs — Willie Jr. drives a forklift, Abel Aquirius drives hospital patients, Anjessica works in customer care for an insurance company, Toni is an elementary teacher, and Deborah does hair. Annie runs a clothing store called Caldwell Fashions, which has been a beloved staple for women dressing for convocations and anniversaries since the 1980s. Caldwell Fashions is open five days a week by appointment, should you want to stop in.
Can’t Lose My (Soul) is 20 years in the making. They recorded it in West Point, down the street from Annie and Joe’s house at a church where Joe plays guitar every other Sunday, and where his father used to be a deacon. It was produced by Ahmed Gallab, aka Sinkane. Together with the engineer Albert DiFiore, they drove a mobile rig down from Nashville and turned the back room of the church into a control room.
“Hearing Annie’s voice for the first time was like witnessing something rare,” Gallab said of the recording session. “Like you’re in the presence of a force of nature that’s been here long before you. It’s visceral, almost like it’s coming from her soul. You can feel every part of her life, every little piece of her journey, in each note she hits. It’s pure talent: no effort, no pretense, just real and raw.
“And working with Deborah was like tapping into pure fire,” he said. “She’s feisty, no doubt! That spark, that intensity she brings, spills right into her music. The tough love that these girls gave each other. Calling each other out when one wasn’t in key. It was pretty funny.”
