Room 41

Paul Cauthen named his second album Room 41 after the hotel room he called home following the release of his debut album My Gospel in 2016. He stayed in that lodging in Dallas for the better part of two years, living the life that resulted in the blown-out and frequently bizarre Room 41. Cauthen doesnt abandon the outlaw country of My Gospel so much as force it into a disco, then stands back to see which one emerges victorious. Based on Room 41, its difficult to declare either side a clear winner. Cauthen ping-pongs between dark ballads and gonzo country-rock fusions, dressing each extremity in overlapping layers of haunted harmonies, smeary synths, freeze-dried funk, and slamming backbeats. Drenched in alcohol and cocaine, Room 41 seems allergic to daylight, and not overly concerned with whether a listener is on its wavelength, either. This can mean that Room 41 may seem a bit alienating if its played at the wrong time, when its low-rent melodrama seems not only skeevy, but a bit ill-formed. But if the mood strikes, its a risky, compelling listen and certainly one of the oddest albums of 2019, regardless of genre. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine