For decades, backup singers, largely women and largely African American, have labored in the shadows of the music industry. Their sound has been an essential ingredient in the hit-making recipe. The singers profiled here, despite their undeniable talent, never broke through to the front of the stage, whether by fate or by choice (the latter more common than one would suppose). This film finally gives these singers their due. The low points and the triumphs of these women’s journeys force us to recalibrate our preconceived notions of art, fame, and success. While their stories reveal the shady machinations of a predatory industry, the film also shows the backup role as an art in its own right, requiring precision, nuance, and deep rootedness in the groove. And when they’re placed front and center and given a chance to solo, they flat-out crush it by out-cooing, out-melisma-ing, and out-belting any number of the divas they normally stand behind.  MM