No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin (2024) was such a colossal and emotional undertaking for Meshell Ndegeocello that it makes sense that her next album would feel like a retreat of sorts. Arriving on the centennial birthday of the beloved Baldwin, the Grammy-winning record is nearly 80-minutes long and often features the author’s words, some sung (Justin Hicks) or spoken (poet Staceyann Chin). It is a record about persecution and rebirth and goes as hard as anything in the songwriter and bassist’s multi-decade career.

Ndegeocello has returned with new album Synonym, a collection of 15 covers on which she collaborates with a cast of famous co-vocalists. Though Ndegeocello dabbles in rock, jazz, soul, and R&B, some of the song choices here are surprising and it is often exhilarating to hear her spin not only folk favorites but new wave and grunge classics as well.

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Alchemy is the key ingredient on Synonym and Ndegeocello often makes magic by combining songs from the work of Bob Dylan, Jennifer Lopez, Barbra Streisand, and more with vocalists such as Cynthia Erivo, Cat Power, and Chaka Khan. 

The bassist has described the album as “an expression of queer liberation as a synonym for liberation of all kinds.” And while covering Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike” might be an odd choice for such a raison d’être, there is a method here beyond a random collection of covers. Take, for example, “Guilty.” Streisand’s  original version was a duet with Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees. By replacing Gibb with Ink, lyrics such as “And we’ve got nothing / To be guilty of, our love” take on a whole different meaning. 

Much of Synonym is quite smooth and easy to digest. The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” changes from twitchy new wave to silky in the hands of Cat Power and Ndegeocello. Meanwhile, Anohni steps in for a jazzy version of Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe.”  

But after Ndegeocello hypnotizes you, the final two songs serve as a wake-up. “Hunger Strike,” featuring Willow, begins mellow but finishes in a cacophony of rattling percussion. The closing track is a take on Dylan’s “With God on Our Side” and features Bill Callahan’s distinctive baritone. What begins as a folky rendition turns strange with electronic hiss and distorted guitar, even if the bassist is trying to match Dylan’s furor with her instrumentation.

Synonym cannot help but feel slight when held up to No More Water. But it’s possible that the former may be Ndegeocello’s magnum opus. A dearth of cohesion isn’t enough to disavow Synonym, but covers collections often suffer from a lack of replay value. Still, the performances are strong, and Ndegeocello infuses the record with the same passion that has made her so beloved in her 30-year-plus career.

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