https://soundcloud.com/amazon-music/lee-ann-womcak-willie-nelson-baby-its-cold-outside
There's no shortage of Christmas music coming your way, but this new duet between Lee Ann Womack and Willie Nelson should be the first new one you listen to.
Their version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" details two coy lovers discussing whether one should stay over for the night. It's less about Christmas and more about romance, but Womack and Nelson nail it.
And thanks to their Texas roots, they opt for a bit of a western swing vibe to the song. A light shuffle mixed with some pedal steel and other classic country instruments moves the standard along at a fun pace. Plus, Willie was always known for his unique vocal phrasing. This song is a great fit for his normal style.
"It's fun to take a standard song and figure out a way to make it your own," Womack told Entertainment Weekly. "The fact that Willie and I are both Texans and fans of Western swing made this treatment a no-brainer."
Womack and Nelson have worked together before, too. In 2002, they collaborated on Nelson's "Mendocino County Line." That song won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration.
Womack also released her first Christmas album The Season For Romance in 2002. "I've always wanted to have a Christmas record with Willie," she says. "And I've always wanted to record something that wasn't just oozing with clichéd Christmas sounds. So I just let him know my idea and we went from there."
Not long ago, Womack also released an amazing new record herself. The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone is one her strongest albums to date.
But as for this Christmas tune, you can find it on an upcoming Amazon holiday playlist called "All Is Bright." Those with Amazon Music can begin streaming all of the new tunes beginning Nov. 24.
