When Roky Erickson released The Evil One in 1980 (in Europe, 1981 in America), he told stories of fear and paranoia using the stuff of B-grade horror movies. He sang and played them with such conviction that it seemed like fire demons, Lucifer, two-headed dogs and the bloody hammer were real to him. He had been released from a mental facility in Texas, and time there had clearly taken a toll.

The power of the album is such that its songs have since shaped all conceptions of Erickson. The upcoming True Love Cast Out All Evil (due out April 20) is a welcome alternative to that, though. Recorded with Austin’s Okkervil River and produced by OR’s Will Scheff, the album collects songs from throughout Erickson’s career including two songs recorded on cassettes – “Devotional Number One” and “God is Everywhere.” There remain some enigmatic logic leaps, and Erickson is still haunted, but the source of his pain is more real, and so are the consequences. “John Lawman” only has three lines, but they’re chilling in their simplicity and seeming carefreeness:

I kill people all day long

I sing my song

I’m Joh-ohn Lawman.

The beautiful “Goodbye Sweet Dreams” similarly leans heavily on the title phrase, but without the gothic imagery of The Evil One, he still conveys the sorrow and fear that come with realizing what the words mean.

True Love Cast Out All Evil rescues Erickson from the caricature he’d helped create of himself, making it the most genuinely engaging Erickson album yet – not as defining as The Evil One, but  a much-needed and very human balance to it.

Roky Erickson plays One Eyed Jacks tonight with Rock City Morgue opening.

To download “Goodbye Sweet Dreams,” go to Anti.com.