20 Feet from Stardom

20 Feet From Stardom is an absolute thrill, a chance to see the faces behind the voices backing the biggest names in music -- Ray Charles, David Bowie, and the Rolling Stones, to start. They have long deserved the spotlight, and the documentary gives them their due, allowing each subject to share not only their vocal genius, but also their histories, professional and personal. The music, phenomenal here, takes second position to the singers, most of whom are yet to become household names, despite decades in the business.

Apart from being enormously interesting and entertaining (plenty of scenes feature big-name stars like Sting and Bruce Springsteen), the film offers choice surprises, including the fact that Sheryl Crow was once a backup singer; that many, like Darlene Love, have "ghost-sung" for other singers; and that a lot of these crooners, most of them women, sing even better than those who've "made it." The revelations are allowed their time in the sun, their rightful place in American history explored, but free of the heavy-handedness that plagues some documentaries. 20 Feet From Stardom is confidently told, expertly filmed, and entirely inspiring. See it.