Annie and the Caldwells’ “Wrong” Is Disco Redemption for Well-Meaning Sinners
The Mississippi family band takes you to the church and the afterparty too.
Regret is a powerful theme in music—entire sad-sap genres have been built upon it. But when regret also takes on an air of repentance—whether in gospel, dance, or even schmaltzy ballads—the emotion is transformed into action; feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t mean shit if you’re not doing something about it.
That’s the general vibe on “Wrong,” by the family band Annie and the Caldwells, who take the conviction of the church and infuse it with a classic, in-the-pocket disco funk. Featured singer Deborah Caldwell Moore delivers her vocals with the conviction of someone who’s paid for her sins, narrating an illicit affair through the clarity of hindsight. She starts out the track with directness: “I thought I was doing right… and I realized I was wrong,” speaking to her mistakes atop backing vocals from her relatives, all of whom seem to agree that she was wrong. Deborah is a force of testimony, lightly rasping through her runs and belting like she’s purging her entire soul.
Annie and the Caldwells are from West Point, Mississippi; in the “Wrong” video, you can see the vintage clothing shop Annie, who is the group’s main singer, owns on Main Street (presumably, Deborah is wearing one of her amazing pieces). Though established in gospel soul circles (Annie’s been touring with her other family band, the Staples Jr. Singers, since the 1970s), the group captivated crowds outside of the American South with their 2024 appearance last year at Le Guess Who? Festival in the Netherlands—and thank God (literally?!) for that.
“Wrong” is from their debut album, Can’t Lose My (Soul), out next month on Luaka Bop. The track is marvelously tight; it also speaks to the way familial voices just fit together, their harmonies offering a smooth and powerful coherence. And Deborah’s ad-libs are for the ages, the way she draws out a “yeh-he-he-hes sir” or just a little “OOOH-HOOO-OOH!” straight from the gut. It’s giving ascension, something a lot of us could use right now.
