The “Chron” makes up the pages of a Christian newspaper (for cold hard cash, not because it’s God’s work), which has reviews of religious music. Some of it is good — I now listen to Taizé Community albums in moments of stress, warmly recommended — but thus far none has been of a “hell, yeah” standard.
Until now. Annie and the Caldwells is a family band from Mississippi: Annie, daughters Deborah and Anjessica and goddaughter Toni on vocals, husband Joe on guitar, and sons Willie Jr and Abel as the rhythm section.
It’s a great album. You can focus on the God fearin’ lyrics or listen to it as all enveloping soulful music. It’s only 35 minutes long, and 10 minutes of those are the title track, which, if you listen to once, you’ll listen to half a dozen times.
They should be good: this is their debut album but comes 20 years after they formed, as a way of keeping younger members in church while not having to give up the funk and soul.
You could drop this at a Congleton Northern Soul disco and people would dance; you could play it at New Life Church and people would use it for praise; or you could slot it into the Blues Brothers soundtrack and nobody would notice. It’s got soul, it’s got walking basslines, it’s got God. There’s funk, blues, soul and gospel, but it’s a clean sound, somewhere between Parliament/Funkadelic, the Isleys and Prince.
The devil does not have the best tunes: it’s official.
See here.
