It’s always a bit of a risk doing a cover album. You’re inviting a comparison with the classics, and what can you add?
By Graeme Smith
Austin, USA-based singer-songwriter and entrepreneur Lurleen Lad is the latest to take that risk, releasing a series of ‘80s covered titled Reclamation. Ladd gives each a twist meaning we get recognisable hits with a hint of freshness. Ladd’s charismatic vocals make it as she delivers each track, providing plenty of energy in opener, a country rock reimagining of Genesis’s Walk of Life.
There are songs that have survived the years, and some you might have forgotten about. Robert Palmer’s Look of Love get’s a sultry, noir rendition. Duran Duran’s Is There Something I Should Know? is delivered with the swagger the band were known for.
Ladd’s take on Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark slows it down and strips it back, marking one of the biggest transformations on the record. It’s followed by Pat Benetar’s Love Is a Battlefield which sees Ladd’s vocals at their most passionate.
Pink Houses, originally released by John Mellencamp, is one of the album’s singles, alongside Walk of Life and it’s easy to see why given its gravitas. INXS’s Mystify is given a jazzy reworking. Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl is another passionate moment. It’s paired nicely with the brooding Sunglasses At Night by Corey Hart.
Huey Lewis And The New’s Walking On A Thin Line is reworked cinematically. INXS makes a return through a cantering cover of What You Need. The Outfield’s Your Love get’s a soft and romantic rendition. The album closes with a lingering cover of Road To Nowhere with Ladd delivering an intimate and heartfelt version of the Talking Heads classic.
While Reclamation is undoubtedly a nostalgia trip for those who remember these songs from the first time around, for Ladd it’s more than that. “As a teenager in the ’80s, these songs were the soundtrack to my life and the dreams I had of becoming a musician,” she says. “Now, as a woman in my 50s, I wanted to reimagine them through the lens of experience, resilience, and everything life has taught me.”
She adds: “Society often tells women over 40 they’re past their prime. This album is my answer. I’m not done— I’m reclaiming the dreams that began in the ’80s and continue to inspire me today.”
The keep up to date with all Lurleen Ladd is doing, you can head to website, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Reclamation is out now, and you can listen to it below.