Paul Cauthen Can’t Wait to Sing With Randy Houser on 2019 Magnolia Tour

Paul Cauthen makes no secret of the traumatic life shifts and painful fallouts that transpired as he was making his most recent album, Room 41. Now, the singer says he's happy to be moving past that period in his life as he looks toward his next musical chapter.

"I don't have to immerse myself in this kind of record. I only have to do one of these, you know?" Cauthen tells The Boot. "And I'm always gonna have heartfelt songs that are about my life per se, but I can still write from the perspective of being there before and knowing what it feels like. It's not like my artistry is gonna be diluted by not being totally immersed in that vibe."

In the meantime, Cauthen will hit the road with Randy Houser in support of the latter artist's new album, Magnolia. The trek will run from late October through mid-December, kicking off in Dallas, Texas -- the same state in which the two performers first met.

"Houser and I, we met at Deep Eddy Cabaret in Austin, Texas. That's not a strip club; that's just a crazy bar. Been there since 1950, I think. Awesome dive," Cauthen recalls. "His manager and my manager happened to be friends, and were trying to get us together for a long time."

Much like Room 41, Houser's latest album represents a kind of catharsis: An artist who had seen significant success in Nashville and on the country radio charts, Houser turned inward for Magnolia, focusing more on his own creative process and less on what would work from a commercial standpoint. He returned to the muse that first drew him to pursue country music, one that Houser admits he'd lost sight of a bit.

Beyond their thematic similarities, Cauthen says he's a huge fan of Houser as a singer. "It's pretty powerhouse. I just love singing with him. It's insane," Cauthen says. "He is probably the finest male vocalist that is white that I've ever known, straight up."

Houser and Cauthen's run together will wrap in Boston,  Mass., on Dec. 12. For more details and ticketing information, visit Houser's website.

See Inside Paul Cauthen's Big Velvet Revue at AmericanaFest 2019