Indie Exclusive Yellow Vinyl LP

Whether he knows it or not, every man lives by a code. And for country provocateur Paul Cauthen, that code is simple. Always bet on yourself. A singer-songwriter with a well-documented distaste for playing by anyone else’s rules, the East Texas native spent two decades clawing his way through the country underground, embodying the independent spirit with a monolithic Big Velvet vocal. Fusing classic-country grit, gospel power, and a rhinestoned rock edge, four previous albums proclaimed his singular style with a booming baritone and near-biblical swagger.

Taught to sing by his grandfather in a Church of Christ, Cauthen hit the scene with the duo Sons of Fathers in 2009, before My Gospel, Room 41, Country Coming Down, and Black on Black unveiled a vulnerable, fire-and-brimstone songwriter with brazen Texas attitude — craving deliverance, yet possessed by a “bird dog” instinct for theatrical rapture.

Cauthen’s fifth album, Book Of Paul, takes him further down his path of utterly authentic country music; fearless, proud, and with two middle fingers in the air. Co-writing 12 of 13 tracks, the troubadour confesses to his wild side and wrestles with the sin. He spares no detail — and makes no compromise.