On Synonym, Meshell Ndegeocello approaches the cover album as an act of transformation rather than nostalgia. Across 15 songs drawn from six decades of folk, soul, pop, R&B, rock, and hip-hop, familiar material is reshaped through her fluid language of jazz, funk, soul, and experimental production.

The album is built around duets, pairing Ndegeocello and her collective with an extraordinary cast including Cat Power, Chaka Khan, Lianne La Havas, Robert Glasper, Moses Sumney, ANOHNI, WILLOW, Laura Lee, Bill Callahan, and Chris Thile.

Rather than simply updating these songs, Synonym searches for their emotional core and places it in a new context. Warm, adventurous, and remarkably open-ended, it’s another reminder of Ndegeocello’s ability to move beyond genre while making even deeply familiar music feel personal again.