Monday's Long Song

 

I would never have believed that I would be presenting a real gospel song here. But Annie Caldwell has proved me wrong. She has been travelling with her family for over 40 years to praise the Lord.

The Caldwells can be thought of as an extended family from West Point, Mississippi. Mother Annie, who is a member of the Staples Jr. Singers, performed at weekends with her daughters and sons, her husband and a goddaughter in various clubs and dives not far from her home town. They played a mixture of rhythm & blues and soul, sounding like a highly explosive mixture of Chaka Kahn, Bootsy Collins and Prince unplugged.

Now they released their first album with powerful and moving songs, all recorded live in a church. The call and response of Annie's lead vocal and her daughter Deborah is one of the strongest vocals I listened to since a long time. The funky beat and the superb guitar passages make this song exceptional. An unusual but fascinating record. Hallelujah from me too.