Lurleen Ladd Reclaims the ’80s With Bold New Album and Ashley Longshore Cover Art

Some albums come with cover art. Others come with a statement. Austin singer-songwriter Lurleen Ladd’s fourth record, Reclamation, falls firmly into the second group, arriving wrapped in a vivid new painting by celebrated pop artist Ashley Longshore and carrying a message that reaches far beyond the music itself.

The artwork shows Ladd at the microphone, mid-song, with vinyl records and butterflies drifting around her. It is playful and colourful in the way Longshore’s work always is, but the imagery is carefully chosen. Records nod to the decade that shaped the album; butterflies speak to change. Together they capture what Reclamation is really about: a woman stepping back into a dream she never fully let go of.

For Ladd, bringing Longshore on board was about more than her signature style. The New York-based artist, often described as a leading voice of pop feminism, taught herself to paint in a college dorm room and went on to build a career on her own terms, collaborating with names such as Gucci, Porsche and Maybelline and becoming the first female artist to hold a solo exhibition at Bergdorf Goodman. Like Ladd, she is a Gen X Southerner who had to carve out space in an industry that did not always make room for her.

“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,” Ladd explains. “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 didn’t need much convincing. “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 project. Reclamation revisits thirteen staples of the 1980s, from Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life” and Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” to Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield,” Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” and Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night.” But this is no nostalgia trip. Ladd reshapes each track through the eyes of a woman taking back her voice and her creative freedom, so lyrics that once soundtracked teenage bedrooms now land with the weight of lived experience.

Steering the sound is pianist and producer Eddy Hobizal, whose résumé includes work with Christopher Cross, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, Sara Hickman, Lloyd Maines and former Ray Charles music director Dr. James Polk. Under his hand, familiar classics become intimate, personal reinterpretations rather than straight covers.

Ladd’s own path gives the album its credibility. She spent two decades building a successful career in social work and healthcare, co-founding philanthropic ventures including The Shade Project, before committing to music professionally later in life. Songwriting had always been there; what changed was her decision to stop waiting. Navigating an industry that too often overlooks women over 40 led her to found Wavemakers Women and Music, a growing global community that champions experienced women musicians and pushes back against outdated ideas about age and artistry.

Reclamation is, in many ways, the sound of that mission set to music. It is a reminder that the dreams we form young don’t expire; they simply wait for us to come back for them.

Reclamation is out now on all major streaming platforms and available to purchase at LurleenLadd.com.

Reclamation – Track List