If you don’t think G-funk and outlaw country music have a lot of common, you’re tripping, cowboy.
Just compare the lyrics of Dr. Dre and Waylon Jennings, where hustling, drugs and womanizing are essential elements of their gangster personas. Or simply look at the long bromance between Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson.
Don’t worry, Paul Cauthen isn’t some Bubba Sparxxx country-rap clown. He’s a purebred country crooner of the Sturgill Simpson variety. But on his full-length debut, Room 41, the husky Texas troubadour infuses his rough and rumble country tunes with a funky, low-riding swagger straight outta “Gin and Juice.”
It’s no wonder his voice has earned him the nickname Big Velvet. That’s the title of a P.I.M.P. if I ever heard one.
Ryan is a writer, editor and vinyl collector currently based in Los Angeles. He started Mini Music Critic in 2017.