‘Glee’ season 4 song spoilers: Hear Naya Rivera channel Paula Abdul (audio)

We have finally the first of what will be many song previews for Thursday night’s “Feud” episode of “Glee,” and this one seems to be very much all about Rachel and Brody … as told by one Santana Lopez. That’s right: Naya Rivera is going to be performing a solo during the episode that seemingly has nothing to do with herself.

The song in question is a Paula Abdul classic in “Cold Hearted,” which holds up really well after listening to Rivera’s version. She’s got a little bit of old-school soul in her voice, and she actually uses that to her advantage in the song by giving the lyrics a different dimension. What could be a pretty fun dance track from the late 1980s is transformed into something that really feels applicable to the “Glee” story, as Santana is absolutely convinced that Rachel’s new boyfriend is up to no good and is involved in the drug trade. Based on what we’ve seen, he’s either getting his Walter White on, or is involved in something else that is close to being just as shady.

A bit of music trivia for this song: this is the third #1 hit that Abdul had on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was recently performed in a dance medley by Paula on “Dancing with the Stars” this past fall. It is also commonly mistitled “Cold Hearted Snake,” even though the song is really doesn’t have the word “snake” as a part of the title at all.

What do you think about Naya’s performance (as Santana) of this song? In addition to sharing your thoughts on this with a comment below, you can also head over here to see what she and some other actors will be performing for the upcoming “Guilty Pleasures” episode.

Photo: Fox