Meshell Ndegeocello's New Album 'Synonym': Release Date, Tracklist

Genre-defying singer Meshell Ndegeocello has revealed her new covers album Synonym will release Oct. 2 via Blue Note Records.

For her third project under the label, the Washington, D.C., native recruited a multigenerational lineup of duet partners to reimagine classics. The lead single, available now, is a majestic rendition of Aretha Franklin and George Michael’s No. 1 hit “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” featuring singer and actress Cynthia Erivo.

The album features additional collaborations with Chaka Khan, Robert Glasper, Lianne La Havas, Destin Conrad, Moses Sumney, Emily King, Lizz Wright, Willow, Brandi Carlile and more.

Synonym is said to explore “expressions of desire, care, heartbreak, friendship, disappointment, and love in all forms,” with genre-spanning material selected from the last six decades. Ndegeocello co-produced the album alongside Abe Rounds and David Gamson, the latter of whom worked on her first two albums, 1993’s Plantation Lullabies and 1996’s Peace Beyond Passion. “On this album, I wanted to show off as a producer,” she noted. “I love being on Blue Note Records, because with that, I still get to be a musician.”

The 15-track collection includes renditions of timeless records, such as Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack‘s “The Closer I Get To You” and “Be Real Black For Me,” Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garrett’s “Don’t Look Any Further” and Ja Rule and Ashanti’s “Always On Time.”

“This project is about classic songs that are known and loved,” said Ndegeocello. “The songs have diverse tones, representing various genres and intentional grooves. But the album is also about joy, selfhood, individual representation, and universal experience.”

Synonym is not only a celebration of music in all shades but also a nod to queer representation.” This project is an expression of queer liberation as a synonym for liberation of all kinds,” said Ndegeocello.

She continued, “The queer community claimed me when others didn’t and for a long time that felt too far away from other communities to which I belong but now I recognize the ways in which it all overlaps. Once again, I went back to my elders: Audre Lorde told us that there is no single issue struggle. Similarly, these arrangements are synonyms for their originals – these different sounds still mean the same thing.”

Synonym follows 2024’s No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin and 2023’s The Omnichord Real Book, both released via Blue Note Records. Both projects won Best Alternative Jazz Album at the 2025 and 2024 Grammy Awards.

Synonym will be released digitally and physically on vinyl and CD. The vinyl comes in translucent green and black. All formats are available for pre-order.