eMusic Review 0
You may not recognize Merry Clayton’s name, but you sure know her voice: She’s the gospel gal who wails the “rape, murder” lines in the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” the one who lends that landmark song undeniable torment, grit and veracity. Known primarily as background singer for everyone from Ray Charles to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Clayton released four solo albums in the ’70s, but the closest she ever got to a hit was “Yes,” a 1988 Pointer Sisters-styled single from the phenomenally popular Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
Her unsung-hero status is among those celebrated in Twenty Feet from Stardom, a poignant documentary about relatively unknown but hugely skilled background singers that’s currently hitting theaters. Drawn primarily from her first two albums and filled with rare singles, this long-overdue collection indirectly answers why Clayton never earned the sales of Aretha or Chaka: She rarely had someone of similar talent writing surefire smashes for her. Nearly every cut on this collection is a cover, and although R&B albums of the era were often fleshed out with borrowed songs, those usually weren’t the hits.
What Clayton instead possesses are virtuoso interpretive skills that nearly rewrite the melodies of familiar songs while deepening their lyrical impact. The rockers… read more »
