Some dreams don’t disappear. They just wait. That’s the idea at the heart of Reclamation, the fourth album from Austin singer-songwriter and entrepreneur Lurleen Ladd, and it’s now been given a striking visual identity by one of pop art’s boldest voices. Ladd has unveiled the album’s commissioned cover art, painted by acclaimed New York-based artist Ashley Longshore, and it captures the record’s spirit perfectly.
The vibrant painting shows Ladd at the microphone, surrounded by floating vinyl records and butterflies. It’s a fitting image for an album about transformation and self-expression: the records nod to the music that shaped a generation, while the butterflies speak to change, growth and the courage to become who you were always meant to be.
Longshore was a natural choice for the project. Often described as an “avatar of pop feminism,” she is known for her audacious, unapologetic style and irreverent humour. Like Ladd, she’s a Gen X-er and a Southerner, and her own story mirrors the album’s message. Longshore taught herself to paint in her college dorm room and went on to build an internationally recognised career, with work exhibited and collected around the world and collaborations with brands including Gucci, Porsche and Maybelline.
For Ladd, that journey was exactly why Longshore belonged on the record. “Since she herself struggled as an artist at first, especially as an independent female artist in a male-dominated industry, I felt compelled to have Ashley be a part of this album,” she says. “I’m so grateful that she agreed to be part of this special project that has brought dozens of women 40+ together in one common vision: to reclaim the dreams that we first formed as teens and continue to fuel us today.”
Longshore was just as enthusiastic. “When she shared her personal story and vision behind the Reclamation album, it was a no-brainer to want to be a part of it,” she says. “Having grown up in the ’80s, I love all the songs she covers on the album as well!”
Those songs are the heart of the record. Reclamation reimagines iconic hits of the 1980s, from artists including Bruce Springsteen, Rick Springfield, INXS, Duran Duran, Dire Straits, Corey Hart, John Mellencamp and Robert Palmer. But this is far more than a nostalgia trip. Ladd reinterprets each song through the eyes of a woman reclaiming her voice, purpose and creative freedom, giving familiar classics new emotional weight.
Lurleen Ladd – Reclamation Track list:
- Walk of Life
- Addicted to LoveIs There Something I Should Know
- Dancing in the Dark
- Love Is a Battlefield
- Pink Houses
- Mystify
- Jessie’s Girl
- Sunglasses at Night
- Walking on a Thin Line
- What You Need
- Your Love
The album was produced by acclaimed pianist and producer Eddy Hobizal, whose career includes work with Christopher Cross, Sara Hickman, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, Lloyd Maines and former Ray Charles music director Dr. James Polk. His touch helps turn these well-loved songs into intimate, emotionally resonant interpretations rather than straight covers.
Ladd’s own life story is what gives Reclamation its authenticity. She spent two decades building a successful career in social work and healthcare and co-founded several philanthropic ventures, including The Shade Project, before fully stepping into music later in life. Songwriting had always been her passion, and she eventually chose to pursue it professionally. Reclamation is now her fourth album.
Along the way, she saw first-hand how often the music industry overlooks women over 40. Rather than accept it, she founded Wavemakers Women and Music, a global movement that empowers experienced women musicians and challenges outdated ideas about age. That mission runs through every note of Reclamation, an album made by and for women who never stopped dreaming.
With Longshore’s bold artwork on the cover and a collection of ’80s classics transformed inside, Reclamation is both a celebration of the music that shaped a generation and a reminder that it’s never too late to reclaim the dreams you started with.
Reclamation by Lurleen Ladd is out now on all major streaming platforms and available to buy at LurleenLadd.com.
For more info:
LurleenLadd.com
