Synonym

Meshell Ndegeocello’s Synonym was released October 2, 2026, through Blue Note Records, bringing together 15 covers that span folk, country, soul, synth-pop, grunge, and hip-hop. Co-produced with Abe Rounds and David Gamson—the latter reuniting with her after producing Plantation Lullabies and Peace Beyond Passion—the album reshapes familiar material around warm basslines, spacious keyboards, intricate percussion, and intimate vocal exchanges. Its central idea is queer reinterpretation: songs originally associated with male-female duets are largely recast through women’s and nonbinary voices, changing their emotional implications without necessarily changing their words. Rather than recreating the originals, Ndegeocello uses their shared themes of desire, heartbreak, devotion, and disappointment to explore connections across identities and musical traditions.

“Don’t You Want Me,” with Cat Power, turns the Human League’s synth-pop hit into a slow, slinky exchange whose threatening undertones become harder to ignore, while “Always on Time,” featuring Khruangbin’s Laura Lee, transforms Ja Rule and Ashanti’s hit into psychedelic soul. Emily King and Lizz Wright bring rich vocal interplay to “Be Real Black for Me,” and Lianne La Havas joins “Don’t Look Any Further,” retaining the original’s defining bassline within a more intimate setting. “Golden Ring,” with Brandi Carlile, preserves a country-soul jauntiness, while “Guilty,” featuring Ink, offers a spare, atmospheric alternative to the familiar recording. The closing “With God on Our Side,” with Bill Callahan and Chris Thile, shifts from romantic relationships toward collective responsibility. Some of the slower arrangements sacrifice the originals’ buoyancy, but the strongest performances reveal how familiar songs can acquire new meanings through different voices and textures.