Meshell Ndegeocello, Bill Callahan, & Chris Thile – “With God On Our Side” (Bob Dylan Cover)

When I was talking to Bill Callahan early this year, he slipped me a little scoop: The veteran indie singer-songwriter had recorded a collaboration with Meshell Ndegeocello. Here's the backstory he provided:I met her at a festival a long time ago, and it was very cute. She was sleeping in a tent or something, and I don't think she'd ever heard my music. But she had done her set, I guess, and went to sleep in her tent. Then I started my set, and she was like, "What is this voice?" You know, "Who is this?" And she just came out, like, half asleep, at the end and introduced herself to me. And then like 10 years passed, and she asked me to sing on one of her songs. It's coming out, I guess, this year sometime.The time has come. The song is out. When Ndegeocello announced her duets/covers album Synonym in July, we learned that she and Callahan had recorded a version of the classic Bob Dylan protest song "With God On Our Side" that also features Punch Brothers/Nickel Creek dude Chris Thile. Sequenced as the closing track on Synonym, it's a stunning treatment made all the better by director Damani Baker's music video."Bill Callahan's voice to me is enchanting and just draws you in,’" Ndegeocello says. "And then my other angel is Chris Thile. He’s a very grounded human being; I just love the earthiness of his voice." It's true, these three voices fit together incredibly well. Regarding the choice of repertoire, she adds, "The lyrics just have a lot more aggression in it than its arrangement. So, I was challenged to take this folk song and make it feel like I hear it. It’s like putting together a puzzle with all these little pieces. Rearranging allows me to give more respect to the song."Watch the video below.bill callahan’s voice rippling through this zara— sam goldner (@szgoldner) September 13, 2026Synonym is out 10/2 on Blue Note. Pre-order it here.