Paul Cauthen’s fifth album, Book of Paul, arrives April 3, and the title tells you something: this is a Texas gospel record as much as it’s a country record. The Big Velvet persona that Cauthen has been building since his debut, something between a Pentecostal preacher and an outlaw country singer, gets its most fully realized treatment here.

Thirteen tracks, twelve of them co-written by Cauthen, co-produced by a team including Ryan Tyndell and Steve Rusch. He plays bass and drums on select tracks, which is consistent with his approach of being deeply involved in every element of the production rather than simply handing off to professionals. The lead single “Texas Swagger” arrives with bull-riding footage in the video and exactly the level of confidence the title implies.

What makes Cauthen interesting rather than just a regional curiosity is that the persona and the music are coherent. The rhinestones-and-rock edge, the gospel influence, the East Texas specificity, these aren’t affectations layered on top of conventional country. They’re structural elements of his songwriting. “Cigarettes and Billy Graham” is a title that could only come from someone who grew up with both of those things as real presences in their world.

He’s been building this for five albums and a lot of touring, and Book of Paul sounds like a document of a complete artist rather than a work in progress. The Tonkin’ N Tejas Tour is running through spring.

Book of Paul is out April 3 on Velvet Rose Records.