Cover albums are nothing new and in fact artists paying tributes to their big influences are as normal as apple pie. Although it was a novel phenomenon in the late 1980s and early 1990’s, especially widespread, when in fact the CD first arrived, and the tributes keep coming 40 years on. Case in point is the 2022 release of Got It Covered by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Eleanor Underhill. Featuring the pop penchants of the ace banjo player and vocalist, Got It Covered kicks off with her truly memorable cover of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby”. Other artists getting the treatment here include The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Don Henley, Pink Floyd, Madonna and much more.

Eleanor spoke with Roots Music Report on some of the tracks; “Feeling Good is an amazing song and I was intrigued to find out that it was written for a British musical. I think it is a significant song in the context of the play and also in how Nina Simone interpreted it. I very much respect the intention of the song in expressing Black freedom and joy. I hope I did it justice because I feel like I'm walking in sacred footsteps there."

And how about her approach to making the album? “Many of these songs were requested over the years and if I liked them enough, I would learn them and incorporate them into my sets. When I first started playing solo in Asheville, North Carolina, I had several residencies and wanted to figure out a way to keep it interesting for people week after week. I put a pad of paper and a pencil next to the tip jar and asked people to throw in cover suggestions.

The next week, I'd play at least one of the suggested songs. Many of the songs on the covers album were suggested by fans, “Eleanor Rigby” being one of them. I actually was a little resistant to cover it because I knew it had been covered many times over and very well. Once someone suggested it, it just kinda stuck and then landed as the kick off track to the album because it had energy and spunk.

In addition to her banjo picking, on the 16-track Got It Covered Ms. Underhill adds in piano, synths, trumpet, trombone and more while other artists, including guitarist Silas Durocher, sax player Jacob Rodriguez and drummer Will Younts help bring the music to life. With its cross section of classic rock covers, spanning the 1960s through till more recent musical eras, Got It Covered is a pleasurable journey through the past thanks to the pop predilections of song stylist Eleanor Underhill.