Margo Price came up on the periphery of Nashville’s country music world, and she still has her roots there. But on her 2020 album That’s How Rumors Get Started, Price also makes a clear case that she’s a straight-up classic rocker, and she also draws plenty of inspiration from the singer-songwriters of the ’70s. Today, she’s taken on one of the best songs from one of the best of those singer-songwriters.

Joni Mitchell’s “River,” from the beloved 1971 album Blue, is one of those great Christmas songs that isn’t really a Christmas song. On the track, Mitchell sings about recovering from a breakup during the holiday season. Price’s new version of the song is faithful to the original. Just like Mitchell’s version, Price’s take on the song is just voice and piano. As with the original, voice and piano is all you need.

Price debuted her “River” cover in a virtual Planned Parenthood video earlier this year. In the new version, she accompanies herself on piano and really sings the hell out of the song. I’m going to say it’s better than Price’s “WAP” cover. Price’s version of “River” is out now as a single, and its video is just footage of Price recording it live. Check out Price’s version and the Joni Mitchell original below.

That’s How Rumors Get Started is out now on Loma Vista. Also, tomorrow night, Price is doing a big event at Tennessee’s Stardust Drive-In Theatre. She’ll screen the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice and premiere her own Perfectly Imperfect At The Ryman concert film.