The fourth single from Annie Lennox‘s 1992 solo debut Diva, “Cold” is a slow soul ballad was a decent hit in the UK but didn’t chart in the US. It’s not one of her most popular songs on streaming as a result but is a relatively popular cover.
Rose Cousins is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island. She has a knack for interpreting big songs from women singers both past and contemporary in her folk pop idiom. Her version of “Cold” is her latest though “Cold” is less famous than the songs she’s previously taken on.
Cousins begins her cover with just slow piano. She sings Lennox’s lyrics with a similar cadence but at a slower tempo. Though few can compete with Annie Lennox’s pipes, Cousins is a good singer and she more than handles it.
She soon adds a Lennox-ian backing choir and keyboard for the refrain. Though both of these are present in the original, the feel here is entirely different, both due to the slower tempo and the organic feel of everything. Even at the bridge, though she ups the intensity, Cousins keeps the slow pace.
As the performance goes, she adds even more backing vocals, further indulging in techniques Lennox regularly used in her songs. But she never strays from the overall sound, which feels a long way from the early ’90s sheen of the original.
It’s a very pretty version, check it out below:
You can also buy it: https://rosecousins.bandcamp.com/track/cold