The mezzo-soprano voice of k.d. lang is a subtle, cloying force of nature. Given even decent material to work with, that voice can carry a song and make it more than it is, with minimal assistance needed from the arrangement. Makeover, lang’s new release of old material in celebration of Pride Month (which begins June 1), takes several of her best-known songs and presents them in dance remix editions—some of them in two newly released versions.

Some of these remixes couch that amazing voice in more complimentary settings than on the original recordings, while others do little to build on the originals. In at least one new take turns lang’s stunning chops into little more than another aural ingredient in a complex dance soundscape. This isn’t exactly a greatest hits package. There’s no “Constant Craving,” “Crying” or “Hallelujah.”  But most of the eight songs that are here, with six of them in two versions, are fairly well-known and beloved by k.d. lang fans. The originals and the remixes presented on makeover were made between 1992 and 2000.

The most drastic variations can be found with “If I Were You,” with the studio version first appearing on 1995 album “All You Can Eat.” The original includes a typically powerful yet sly vocal above a spare, sinewy arrangement with harp flourishes. One remix on makeover, the “Close to the Groove Edit,” swaddles a similarly cutting vocal in a more lush, technicolor soundscape made for drifting away on the dance floor (and the harp remains). A second version of “If I Were You,” advertised as the “Main Mix,” is a whole different animal—a sonically dense piece, on which with lang’s voice is almost an afterthought. It’s a strange idea, indeed.

Fortunately, lang’s voice cuts through the dance-mix clutter more often than not on makeover. On some tracks,  the new mixes actually enhance lang’s singing by providing a more cushy ambiance than the original recording did. “Lifted by Love (Club Xanax Mix)” doesn’t sound so different from the 1993 original, until the slightly faster, slightly more intense treatment envelops the listener, providing a more resonant effect. An “Elevate Your Love Mix” version of that same song is a more straight-ahead dance remix, which may delight fans of that style but not necessarily fans of k.d. lang. You could say the same for “Sexuality (DJ Krush Full Mix),” which comes close to being pedestrian club music, though the song’s innate charm remains.

On “Theme From the Valley of the Dolls (Junior Vasquez 7 Mix),” lang keeps pace with a relatively spare slow-dance arrangement which, in the end, isn’t a major break from the version on the “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” soundtrack from 1993. Lang can also keep up with a faster, more aggressive and cluttered mix, as “The Consequences of Falling (Love to Infinity Radio Mix)” shows. And “Sexuality (Tony Maserati Final Radio Remix),” unlike the other version of this song on makeover, provides an absolutely dreamy cushion for lang to implore a paramour to “unleash your sexuality on me.”

Some listeners may say k.d. lang’s magic isn’t necessarily well served by dance remixes. In some instances on makeover, the mix indeed almost reduces lang to a bit player. But in most cases, these mixes prove sympathetic to the singer, with a few instances coaxing a mood, a feeling of longing, that eluded the original versions of these songs. For a veteran singer whose voice can be transcendent, preserving that quality over a dance mix is its own special power.

Follow journalist Sam Richards at Twitter.com/samrichardsWC.