Twenty Feet from Stardom

I'm finding it difficult to write about Twenty Feet from Stardom, though director/producer Morgan Neville has crafted a finely tuned documentary about backup singers. We get to meet the artists themselves, discover the evolution of their role in music, and learn a cultural and historical context for it. At the center of it all is the voice - that most intimate, raw instrument that we all share. And yet, there are few whose gift is so spectacular that even Sting is humbled. He's one of several celebrities interviewed in the feature, though the focus is actually on the journey of the women behind the stars.

Looking at the contemporary, popular music scene is an exercise in futility for the jaded ones who were lucky enough to catch - or be - the innovators on their way up. I can't imagine what it must be like for Merry Clayton, Darlene Love, or Claudia Lennear to try listening to the radio after having spent years working on the best music, those songs we now consider classic rock, or pop standards. Merry Clayton sang on the Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," Darlene Love has been singing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on Letterman's shows since the 1980s, and Claudia Lennear provided backup vocals for Ike and Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, and David Bowie. How can you top that?

Twenty Feet from Stardom isn't just about reliving the heyday of rock and roll. Music has changed a lot over the years, this much is true and obvious, but Twenty Feet from Stardom does a great job of balancing the Good Old Days with what's going on now in the industry. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between the music industry and the entertainment industry - but they could be remarkably different things. How many true singers have come out of American Idol? Singer-songwriter Judith Hill blew audiences away on The Voice, but she's so much more interesting and talented than many of the other performers to have been showcased on any of the current reality series.

It's taken me about two weeks to finish writing this post, because there's so much to think about - without judgment, so much to learn, accept, and understand - please let it suffice that I recommend catching this documentary for the glamor and the shadows, the singers and the music.