By Joshua Wallace

I will admit, Paul Cauthen’s 2016 debut album My Gospel was difficult to get into at first.  It took me some time, but it warmed up to me and now I look forward to anything he releases. His newest album is the Have Mercy EP.  A seven track release that showcases his various influences from Johnny Cash to Elvis Presley to Jerry Reed. It’s still funky and still damn good.  Let’s dig into some of these tracks.

I love the sentiment of the track “Resignation”.  It’s not about quitting your job, it’s about dropping out of live for a bit and heading to the bar for a drink to forget about all of your troubles for the day.  You’re resigning from everything and leaving the world behind. It’s also all set to the funky kind of tune you’d expect from Paul Cauthen. I dig it.

Probably my favorite track on this album is “My Cadillac”.  This one just has Jerry Reed and Elvis written all over it. It’s as if the King went funky, in a good way.  It seems like it’s about just causing trouble with your friends in an old cadillac. It’s an all around fun track and the best one on the record.  Another favorite is the love song “Tumbleweed”. I love how he takes the imagery of a tumbleweed and compares it to a woman here. There is a bit of a western influence going on in this track.  I can see this one being a single.

Finally, I love the song “In Love With A Fool”.  I have always heard Elvis in Paul Cauthen’s voice and this song just does it for me.  It sounds like it could be a 70’s Elvis cut, and Paul’s vocals echo the King perfectly.  The song itself is about loving someone who is on the road all the time and how strong they have to be and how much of a fool they have to be to love someone like that.  It really is a great tune.

If this is a bridge between My Gospel and whatever comes next for Paul Cauthen, I am looking forward to the next chapter.  This is a strong release and fans of My Gospel will not be disappointed. The Have Mercy EP is available everywhere fine music is sold today.

Favorite Tracks : Resignation, My Cadillac, Tumbleweed, In Love With A Fool

Paul Cauthen – Have Mercy EP (2018)

  1. Everybody Walkin’ This Land
  2. Resignation
  3. Have Mercy
  4. Lil Son
  5. My Cadillac
  6. Tumbleweed
  7. In Love With A Fool
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