Meshell Ndegeocello and Cat Power cover Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”
Meshell Ndegeocello has shared a new duet with Cat Power, a reggae-inflected rework of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”. The track is the second single from Synonym, her forthcoming album of classic songs reinterpreted as duets, set for release on 2 October via Blue Note.
The two vocalists trade lines across the production, which follows last month’s lead single, a version of George Michael and Aretha Franklin’s “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”, sung by Ndegeocello and Cynthia Erivo.
Synonym draws on a sprawling list of guests: Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, Bill Callahan, Chris Thile, Madison Cunningham, Laura Lee of Khruangbin, Lizz Wright, Emily King, Lianne La Havas, Moses Sumney, Destin Conrad, Nick Hakim, Robert Glasper, ANOHNI, WILLOW, Evann McIntosh, and Ink. The material spans 1960s folk, 70s soul, 80s R&B, early-90s alternative rock, and early-aughts hip-hop, all filtered through Ndegeocello’s restless, groove-led lens.
“This project is about classic songs that are known and loved,” Ndegeocello says. “The songs have diverse tones, representing various genres and intentional grooves. But the album is also about joy, selfhood, individual representation, and universal experience.”
Listen to their duet of "Don't You Want Me" below.
Synonym is released on 2 October via Blue Note Records
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