MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Think of some of the classic duets.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN RING")
GEORGE JONES AND TAMMY WYNETTE: (Singing) Golden ring.
MARTIN: George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU")
DONNY HATHAWAY: (Singing) The feeling comes over me.
ROBERTA FLACK: (Singing) Me too.
MARTIN: Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I GOT YOU BABE")
SONNY AND CHER: (Singing) I got you, babe.
MARTIN: Sonny & Cher. On her new album, Meshell Ndegeocello and her band pay tribute to those pairings. And they've recruited an all-star cast to sing along. The album is called "Synonym." And it starts with a cover of this one from 1987, George Michael and Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)." First, we'll hear the original, then Meshell Ndegeocello's version with a wicked guest singer.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME)")
ARETHA FRANKLIN AND GEORGE MICHAEL: (Singing) I knew you were waiting, I knew you were waiting for me.
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: The first person we asked was Cynthia Erivo. And when she said yes, that just filled us with such hope and joy.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME)")
CYNTHIA ERIVO AND MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: (Singing) When the river was deep, I didn't falter. When the mountain was high, I still believed. When the valley was low, it didn't stop me. I knew you were waiting, knew you were waiting for me.
MARTIN: Did you pick the duet partner first? Or did you pick the song first and then figure out which partner would sound best with that song?
NDEGEOCELLO: We just started naming people, and sometimes that would inspire a song. And sometimes vice versa. But then some things were very serendipitous. I went to the Joni Mitchell show at the Hollywood Bowl. And so I met Brandi Carlile (laughter). And that sparked, like, I don't care what song it is. Let's just figure out one (laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN RING")
BRANDI CARLILE AND MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: (Singing) Golden ring, golden ring, one tiny little stone waiting there, waiting there, for someone to take you home. By itself, by itself, it's just a cold metallic thing.
MARTIN: Since we just lost Dolly Parton and there's a song that she had recorded with Kenny Rogers, "Islands In The Stream."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ISLANDS IN THE STREAM")
DOLLY PARTON AND KENNY ROGERS: (Singing) Islands in the stream, that is what we are.
MARTIN: And that's the song that you chose to do with Chaka Khan.
NDEGEOCELLO: Yes.
MARTIN: So tell me about that. Like, how did that come about?
NDEGEOCELLO: Oh, yeah, just wanted to do something with an icon. She was, like, second on the list, so. Music sometimes can be perceived in this competitive way. And I was brought up in that kind of world. The jazz world is hard like that. And this recording for me is like, none of these people are my friends. So sometimes it's just a love letter to them in a way.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ISLANDS IN THE STREAM")
CHAKA KHAN AND MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: (Singing) Islands in the stream, that is what we are. No one in between. How can we be wrong? Sail away with me to another world and we rely on each other, uh-huh.
MARTIN: OK, don't judge me for this.
NDEGEOCELLO: I would never judge you.
MARTIN: But I'll tell you, one of my favorites...
NDEGEOCELLO: Tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me.
MARTIN: ...Is "Guilty," which was made famous...
NDEGEOCELLO: Aw, me too.
MARTIN: ...By Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GUILTY")
BARBRA STREISAND AND BARRY GIBB: (Singing) And we got nothing, and we got nothing to be guilty of.
MARTIN: I don't know what it is. Like, every now and again, that song just pops into my head. And then here you come along with this song, which you performed with Ink, who is one of those, I think kind of...
NDEGEOCELLO: Hidden gems.
MARTIN: Thank you. Exactly what I was going to say, a hidden gem.
NDEGEOCELLO: Gold, baby. She's the best.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GUILTY")
INK AND MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: (Singing) And we got nothing, and we got nothing to be guilty of. Our love will climb any mountain. Near or far, we are. And we'll never let it end.
MARTIN: These duets don't - they don't necessarily match up with the original gender pairings. Tell me more about that. Is it kind of an homage to the fact that you can be out loud and proud now in a way that maybe wasn't always the case? Or what are your thoughts about that?
NDEGEOCELLO: To be honest, it's just an afterthought. I'm glad it's not the forefront. It's just the beauty of these people that was the reason I chose them. It should be the last thing you notice. I'm not sure if I connect with that word, pride. Pride comes before the fall. Or loud and out. I'm really finding...
MARTIN: That's true. You are not a very loud...
NDEGEOCELLO: Yeah (laughter).
MARTIN: ...Performer. We have to lean in when we listen to you.
NDEGEOCELLO: Got to lean in. Yeah, I'm a really - modesty, there's a beauty and a power to it.
(SOUNDBITE OF MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO AND INK SONG, "GUILTY")
MARTIN: When you cover a song, you're not, like - you're never imitating the original song. You always bring something new to it. What's the process? Are you, like, just messing around? Do you already have it in your head? Or how does it work?
NDEGEOCELLO: Oh, well, every song is a cover, even if you wrote it. You can think of different ways to approach it. And I do think my time in D.C. playing go-go music really is part of my coding or, you know, my source code. I love taking something and reenvisioning it. My father played for the Army Blues, which is a band that plays the inaugurations. Or they play in the summertime at the Jefferson Memorial. They did a lot of big band arrangements, you know? I come from that as well. And so I just see the song as this blank canvas, but there's an outline there, but I can color it in any way I want.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I GOT YOU BABE")
ANOHNI: (Singing) They say we're young, we don't know, won't find out until we grow.
NDEGEOCELLO: That's what I'm hoping the listener gets from it, like, just open to a reenvisioning. I mean, I think that's what's happening in the world today. We're having to reenvision a lot about the world. And I'm just trying to do it in the simple medium of music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I GOT YOU BABE")
ANOHNI AND MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: (Singing) I got you, baby. I got you, baby.
MARTIN: That is Meshell Ndegeocello. Her new album of duets is called "Synonym." Thank you so much for talking with us.
NDEGEOCELLO: Oh, thank you so much for your time. And thank you for listening, most of all. Very grateful.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I GOT YOU BABE")
NDEGEOCELLO: (Singing) I guess that's so, we don't have a plot. But at least I'm sure of all the things we've got, baby.
ANOHNI: (Singing) Baby. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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