To celebrate the release of his latest album Book of Paul, available now via Velvet Rose Records/Thirty Tigers, country iconoclast Paul Cauthen performed “Texas Swagger” on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Friday, April 3. Watch his performance Below and listen to Book of Paul HERE.
With Book of Paul, Cauthen continues both his streak of against-the-grain attitude, and his genuine fascination with spiritual truth. But at this point in his career, he’s less interested in the wild-eyed abandon of revival, and more in his own path. A path of utterly authentic country music; fearless, proud, and with two middle fingers in the air. “I wanted to take it back to my roots and where it all began in East Texas,” he says.
And “Texas Swagger,” with its bronc-bucking beat, dark twang and barely contained sense of danger, serves as a mission statement:
“If all else fails, just remember where you came from,” Cauthen proclaims, noting he co-wrote the track with Rob Ragosta and Sam Martinez, who also produced. “We got it hot and cooking, put a little drumbeat on it, built that son of a bitch in 30 minutes. I was like ‘Alright, last time I felt like this was ‘Cocaine Country Dancing.’ It’s got a really fierce feel to it. It’s danceable as shit.”
With his nearly sold-out Tonkin’ ‘N Tejas Tour, Cauthen has added stops at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 11 and Denver’s The Mission Ballroom on Oct. 9. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit paulcauthenmusic.com.
Paul Cauthen Tour Dates:
April 18 | Kalispell, MT | Majestic Valley Arena
July 11 | Saint Paul, MN | Minnesota Country Club Festival
July 16 | Jackson, WY | Snow King Mountain
Sept. 11 | Nashville, TN | Ryman Auditorium
Sept. 19 | Pryor, OK | Born & Raised Festival
Oct. 9 | Denver, CO | The Mission Ballroom
About Paul Cauthen
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 has toured the world, collaborating with Margo Price, Orville Peck, Cody Jinks and Lana Del Rey. With favorites like “Cocaine Country Dancing,” “Fuck You Money” and his GOLD-certified collab with Shaboozey on “Last Of My Kind,” he counts over 442 million global streams. 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. For more information, visit paulcauthenmusic.com.
