If you were to ask me who has the better voice – lead vocalists or the background vocalists – I wouldn’t hesitate to say that background vocalists have the better set of pipes. Making sense of that requires that you understand these are really really different job descriptions. A great set of pipes is not what being a frontman is all about.

The DVD 20 feet from stardom (netflix streaming) does an incredible job of exploring that space, that tension, and is a great follow-on to “All This Time” by Sting.

I’ll be honest and say that my guilty pleasure is putting the background singers in my monitor. The truth is I can’t afford to put them in my monitor, I need to be listening to the  guitars and the kick and hat, but if I possibly can, I do. Shshshsh.