Annie and the Caldwells have toured as a family band for decades but have burst into the mainstream with their acclaimed album, Can’t Lose My (Soul), which has been described as a “gospel masterpiece” . As part of their world tour, the group has come to Australia for the first time and took to the stage at the City Recital Hall to play their album in a concise 1-hour set. 

The audience was first treated to a DJ set by Rahaan, and while the crowd was not full for this, the set continued as the crowd trickled in which created a nice atmosphere as the night began. 

When the Caldwells took to the stage, they started with a barnstorming rendition of “Wrong” before Annie took to the stage and sat upon a piano stool at the front of the stage with incredible aura and presence to lead the rest of the set. The band included Annie’s husband, Willie Caldwell Sr., on guitar, their sons, Willie Jr. on bass and Abel Aquirius on drums, and their daughters Anjessica and Deborah, along with goddaughter Toni on backing vocals, making it a true family affair. 

The band was fantastic throughout the night, treating the audience to beautiful harmonies and a great deal of audience interaction. There was not too much dialogue, with the band preferring to focus on the music, which was wonderfully amplified by the acoustics of the City Recital Hall, leading to a fantastic and full sound throughout. 

The music stood up well however, it would have perhaps been beneficial if there had been some introductions to the songs to contextualise the music as it started to blur and blend through points of the night. There were also not a lot of tonal shifts, which, given the shortness of the set, might have been valuable to show off the versatility of the group even further. Nonetheless, the set that they performed was extremely well executed and indeed, well received by all of the fans in attendance who were loving the richness of the soulful vocals on display. 

Ultimately, this was a great show of gospel music, performed in a way that we do not often see in Australia. The music was high quality, the harmonies were fantastic and the band’s presence and vibe were superb. While there could have perhaps been a little more narrative to contextualise the work and a little more variety at times, this was a set of the highest quality and one can only hope that the band are back in Australia soon. 

Rating: ★★★★

Annie and the Caldwells – City Recital Hall – 5^th June 2025