Steve Baskin - Under Cover (2025)

Steve Baskin is an Atlanta-based Pop Americana singer/songwriter. He's been in and out of the studio over the past year with his incredible band – The Fourteens... And now Love is Hard, the new record by Steve Baskin and the Fourteens, is out in the world!

Tinnitist Magazine describes the sound as being “set against a late ’70s-style backdrop that suggests members of The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Eagles and Fleetwood Mac channeling Al Green at Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis. Music Connection Magazine calls Baskin a “gifted lyricist” combining "Blue-eyed American soul, country, pop and rock 'n' roll to great effect.” Skope Magazine describes Steve as “a smart lyricist” who “deserves to be better known. He’s quietly creating a strong catalogue of songs.”

Steve Baskin and the Fourteens hail from the Southern rock epicenter of Atlanta, and from that perspective they just released their sixth album Under Cover. Under Cover is ten versions of some of the most beloved and ubiquitous songs by some of the most famous musicians of all time, like Bowie, Elvis, the Beatles. Most of these songs are new recording, most of them are with the full band the Fourteens, and a couple of them are remastered from earlier albums by Steve. All of them hit the sweet spot with a heavy dose of badassery.

A version of David Bowie’s “Golden Years” launches the album and hits the target with its swaggery groove, clicks, and vocal playfulness. and it’s just a fun song and Steve highlights the elements well that make this song a unique catharsis. This is followed by an Elvis selection: “Suspicious Minds” that’s up tempo but also a rootsy rock affair with tambourine and high harmony vocals in the mix.

“A Hard Days Night” slows down the original version significantly and molds it into a soul searching moody number with organ and pedal steel a bit of soul.

“I Think I Love You” by the Partridge family is a reissue from Steve’s 2009 Naked, and is a darker more powerful expression than the Partridge version. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” allows pauses that differ from Tears For Fears’ version, again taking just a slightly darker turn than the original. “Under Pressure” (recall David Bowie and Queen) is a joyful affair with a slightly more fluid take than the punch of the original, and as such, it’s more of a thoughtful, reflection rendition: “I’m tired of knowing what this world is about, watching some good friends scream ‘let me out’!”