20 Feet From Stardom: A Review

"20 Feet From Stardom" is a history/documentary of famous backup singers from the 1970's and '80's, a mixture of live interviews and archival footage that has received very good reviews. It was directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and was produced by Gil Friesen. I liked it, although not as much as I expected.

The backup singer has always seemed the platform of rock, the stage on which the front man stands. Part choir, part Siren, the backup has always been the gospel singer in heat. The classic performance might be Merry Clayton in The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," as chilling and primal a sound as rock can give.

There are several famous such singers, sensual women with tremendous ranging voices, featured here. There is the prototype, Darlene Love, whose voice became the iconic sound of the '60's, not just of The Blossoms but wherever high quality was needed in any group. There is Claudia Lennear, part diva, part cat, whose singing and presence was integral to the early Stones. The best may be Lisa Fischer who has traveled with the Stones for over twenty years. Fischer's voice is simply inexplicable. In the film there is a moment where she is working through a song with Sting and other backups. Sting teases her, tries to get her to do more. In a moment she flicks some inner switch into a hair-raising acapella that makes her fellow backup, Jo Lawry, turn and drop her jaw in amazement. And there is the heir presumptive, Judith Hill, a bit more exotic and silkier than the others. But also younger now.

There is a theme that laps in and out of the music: Why do some singers stay backups despite their incredible voices? Interestingly, several performances show the remarkable strength and presence of the front man, especially Bowie's "Young American" performance. And the interviews are flattering; everyone comes off as intelligent and reflective. Sting, especially, is insightful on the whimsical nature of success.

Regrettably at some point the movie goes from tribute to analysis. Victimization appears as inherent in these women's experiences; Darlene Love is simply gratuitously ruined by Phil Spector. Disrupted dreams and ambition foul the love for music that initiated so much of their success. And, of course, despite music's obvious port in the storm, the racial problems must be relived.

But worst, as the emphasis moves forward in time, away from the performances and the talent, away from the incredible energy and quality of the period, more than the music is lost for, alas, youth is not well served in retrospect.