I was mesmerized by the singing and the stories about singing. This movie is all about the backup singers behind bands and it focuses mainly on women (African American with a common thread of a preacher father) who began their career in the 50's and sang background for all the popular songs of the 60's and 70's and onward.
The women all have marvelous, brilliant, transporting, heart shattering voices but Lisa Fischer (who has been singing with the Rolling Stones since 1989 and who is the lady who does the flaming hot duet with Mick on "give me shelter") has a voice that literally brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. And she describes how it feels to sing as a feather being let loose on a puff of air as it floats and sways, changing direction and shape lightly and with a fragile touch.
Some of the singers wanted to have a solo career; some partially succeeded; others just gave up and some like Lisa are quite content to be a backup singer. There are fascinating interviews in this film with Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger and Sting and Stevie
Wonder. and there is music, music, music.
I gave this movie a 9.5 only because the documentary didn't finish with 'what's happening with the ladies now'. I really like that at the end of documentaries because i've gotten so involved with the portrayed lives and don't want to end the connection.
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