An unfinished version of "Cowboy Casanova," the lead single from Carrie Underwood's third studio album, "Play On," leaked online Wednesday (Sept. 2). The song's premature unveiling prompted Underwood to rush out an official version of the track and premiere it on YouTube.
"Cowboy Casanova" was co-written by Underwood with Brett James, who penned her 2006 hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel," and Mike Elizondo, who is best known for his work with hip-hop artists Eminem, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre.
Elizondo isn't the only unexpected collaborator working on the "American Idol" winner's new release. Though it's not known yet whether their work will appear on "Play On," Underwood has written material with R&B singer Ne-Yo, who broke the news to his Twitter followers last week. She's also been writing with pop hitmakers Max Martin and Kara DioGuardi. The album reunites Underwood with longtime collaborator Mark Bright, who produced "Cowboy Casanova."
"Play On" will be released by Arista Nashville Nov. 3, a week before the singer co-hosts the Country Music Association Awards with Brad Paisley. Underwood's 2007 album "Carnival Ride" sold 2,954,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, while her 2005 debut album sold over twice that amount at 6,831,000.
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