I kept it simple because I'm not a pro This is "warts and all" (I didn't make a real effort to over-dub little mistakes, just tried to get my best few takes for the guitar/bass/voice.) Garageband, SC3 & Presonus interface.
I wasn't familiar with the original song or artist, so I had to give that a listen (on youtube) in order to give your cover some context.
The guitar work is recognizable, and even ably done. Vocally, the histrionics and attitude/energy of the original tenor which (for a first time hearer) gave the song it's life wasn't there in the near-spoken baritone drawl of the cover. I don't think a cover requires the singer to perfectly capture the original, so I mention that as notable difference, but not as anything good or bad. It gave the song an almost country flavor that the original didn't have.
I think that the rhythm track seemed a little quiet/muted in some places. I think it would sound better if that was cleaned up a bit. Other than that, I don't know the song well enough to tell if there was anything that shouldn't have been there. It'd be interesting to hear your cover if you could include the same "horn" section parts from the original.
Bottom line - It's not my cup of tea, but I think you're off to a good start.
Thanks! Yeah, I made a version with approximated horns through guitar (and added vocals) but I wasn't skilled at mixing it in and not sounding messy so I gave up and removed them. Might try again.
The horns add a lot to the song though, so I made the rhythm guitar a bit less minimal to add thickness back (the little gsus to g chord thing.) Probably could have turned up the gain/crunch a bit to compensate too now that I give it a listen again.
My voice wasn't able to power through in the key of the song; trying to practice singing more in general and this one was a challenge for that reason. I may come back to it after more practice to see what I can add.
This is "warts and all" (I didn't make a real effort to over-dub little mistakes, just tried to get my best few takes for the guitar/bass/voice.) Garageband, SC3 & Presonus interface.