# Meshell Ndegeocello announces Synonym covers album with Chaka Khan duet

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/meshell-ndegeocello-taps-chaka-khan-cat-power-more-for-cover-album-synonym/
- Published: 2026-07-15T17:01:21+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-16T04:14:16+00:00
- Original publisher: Rolling Stone
- Original article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meshell-ndegeocello-duet-album-synonym-1235593967/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Meshell Ndegeocello's covers album Synonym arrives 2 October via Blue Note
- Features duets with Chaka Khan, Anohni, Cat Power, Brandi Carlile and more
- Lead single with Cynthia Erivo covers "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"

## Summary

Meshell Ndegeocello has announced Synonym, a new covers album out on 2 October via Blue Note, featuring duets with an eclectic roster of artists including Chaka Khan, Anohni, Cat Power and Brandi Carlile. The record sees the multi-genre musician reinterpreting classic songs across various genres, framed by the artist as an exploration of joy, selfhood and queer liberation as a broader symbol of liberation more generally.

The lead single, a slowed-down rendition of "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" featuring Cynthia Erivo, is out now, reworking the George Michael and Aretha Franklin original into a more intimate performance. The full tracklist draws on songs originally by artists such as Sonny and Cher, the Human League, Roberta Flack and Bob Dylan, with further collaborators including Lianne La Havas, Moses Sumney, Robert Glasper and Chris Thile. Synonym follows previous covers and tribute projects from Ndegeocello, including 2018's Ventriloquism and 2024's Red Hot & Ra: The Magic City, and comes after two consecutive Grammy wins for Best Alternative Jazz Album.

## Coverage

- [Rolling Stone: Meshell Ndegeocello announces Synonym covers album with Chaka Khan duet](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meshell-ndegeocello-duet-album-synonym-1235593967/)
- [Brooklyn Vegan: Meshell Ndegeocello announces duet LP ft. ANOHNI, Cat Power, Bill Callahan, Chaka Khan, Robert Glasper, more](https://www.brooklynvegan.com/meshell-ndegeocello-announces-duet-lp-ft-anohni-cat-power-bill-callahan-chaka-khan-robert-glasper-more/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.