Remix Album out May 28 on Nonesuch Records
“An immortal voice.” —NPR
“Her voice, at once beautiful and unadorned and softened with a veil of smoke,
invariably hits the middle of a note and remains there.”—New York Times
Photo (Submitted) Courtesy The Karpel Group
k.d. lang has released “If I Were You (Main Mix)”— a track off her forthcoming album, makeover — along with an accompanying video, which can be seen here. The 1995 remix was produced by Junior Vasquez, and the remix video was edited by Dean Kensler from Kevin Kerslake’s original “If I Were You” music video. As journalist Larry Flick says in his essay about makeover: “With ’If I Were You,’ lang did more than enhance the promotability of her work to the dance market. She made good on the promise of her previous club-focused remixes … Her collaboration with Junior Vasquez laid her emotional cards on the table. No more mystery. No more hiding in shadows of innuendo. lang had evolved from delightfully confounding country music star to proudly queer pop icon.”
In celebration of Pride Month, makeover is due May 28 on Nonesuch Records and comprises classic dance remixes of some of lang’s best-loved songs. The album brings these remixes, made between 1992 and 2000, together for the first time, and includes “Sexuality,” “Miss Chatelaine,” “Theme from the Valley of the Dolls,” “Summerfling,” and the #1 dance chart hits “Lifted By Love” and “If I Were You.” makeover’s cover art features a previously unseen 1995 portrait of lang by David LaChapelle. The album is available to pre-order on all formats, including transparent turquoise vinyl, here. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include instant downloads of “If I Were You (Main Mix)” and the previously released “Miss Chatelaine (St. Tropez Mix)”; an exclusive, limited-edition print of the album cover signed by lang; and a paper doll PDF set, designed by a fan—Katja Virtanen of Finland—to print out at home, featuring iconic looks from throughout her career.
“I had the idea of putting together a dance remix compilation, as I mused about how we built community in those days before the internet, mobile devices, and dating apps. Those dance clubs were a key to a world, which was still called ‘underground’ in the ’90s. I also surprised myself by finding that there was a cryptic, sort of secret zone in my career, that hadn’t been explored, overlooked even by me. Two of these tracks had even hit #1 on the dance charts!” says lang.
Called “one of the greatest singers of all time,” by Elton John and “the greatest female singer in the whole world” by fellow Canadian Michael Bublé, k.d. lang’s distinguished career includes four Grammy and eight Juno Awards. In addition to a fruitful collaboration with Tony Bennett (who calls her “the best singer of her generation”), lang has performed alongside luminaries including Roy Orbison, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, and Loretta Lynn. She sang at the closing ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. lang has contributed music to the soundtracks of several films, including Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and Happy Feet. She has also appeared in a number of films, including Salmonberries, The Black Dahlia, and Eye of the Beholder. In 1996, lang received Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada.
lang released her first album with Nonesuch Records in 2004, the acclaimed and highly personal “Canadian songbook,” Hymns of the 49th Parallel, featuring work by Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Jane Siberry, and others. Her subsequent releases on the label include Watershed (2008), her first career retrospective Recollection (2010), and Sing It Loud (2011). Most recently, Nonesuch released Ingénue: 25th Anniversary Edition in 2017, comprising lang’s multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning original album, as well as the previously unreleased 1993 MTV Unplugged performances. In the words of Uncut magazine, “Ingénue still dazzles, 25 years on. Luminous, languid and seductive to the point of intoxication. This reissue proves its status as a modern classic.” To coincide with the anniversary, lang performed sold-out concerts in Canada, the US, Australia, UK, and Ireland; a DVD of the show, Ingenue Redux: Live from The Majestic Theatre, was released in 2018. “A canny and sumptuous blend of roots music and pre-rock pop, Ingénue sounds as great today as it did upon its release. The songs shimmered with dreamy textures,” wrote the Los Angeles Times. “lang is so good that she is in a class of her own. Wow. Just wow. Most other singers should just give up now,” proclaimed the Daily Telegraph.
makeover (track list)
- Lifted by Love (Club Xanax Mix, 1993) Remix produced by Ben Grosse and k.d. lang *
- If I Were You (Close to the Groove Edit, 1995) Remix produced by Junior Vasquez **
- Just Keep Me Moving (Movin’ Mix, 1993) Remix produced by Tony Garcia *
- Sexuality (Tony Maserati Final Radio Remix, 1995) Remix produced by Robert Holmes and Tony Maserati **
- Miss Chatelaine (St. Tropez Mix, 1992) Remix produced by Greg Penny ***
- Theme from the Valley of the Dolls (Junior Vasquez 7” Mix, 1997) Remix produced by Junior Vasquez ****
- The Consequences of Falling (Love to Infinity Radio Mix, 2000) Remix produced by Love to Infinity *****
- Just Keep Me Moving (Wild Planet Mix, 1993) Remix produced by Tony Garcia *
- If I Were You (Main Mix, 1995) Remix produced by Junior Vasquez **
- Sexuality (DJ Krush Full Mix, 1996) Remix produced by DJ Krush **
- Summerfling (Ananda’s Sweet Bird of Summer Extended Mix, 2000) Remix produced by Chris Brann *****
- The Consequences of Falling (Love to Infinity Funk Mix, 2000) Remix produced by Love to Infinity *****
- Lifted by Love (Elevate Your Love Mix, 1993) Remix produced by Bobby D’Ambrosio and Curt Frasca *
- Summerfling (Wamdue’s Makin’ Me High Dub, 2000) Remix produced by Chris Brann *****
* original versions from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack (1993)
* * original versions from All You Can Eat (1995)
*** original version from Ingénue (1992)
**** original version from Drag (1997)
***** original versions from Invincible Summer (2000)
