Lisa Fischer - So Intense (1991)

Anybody who has seen the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom knows that the title of this album is an apt one when it comes to Lisa Fischer. Fischer, who is one of the featured backup singers in the film, comes across as a pretty mellow person when not practicing her art, but get her in front of the mic either in the studio or on stage, and what pours out is just pure, deep magic. You can see the respect the other musicians and singers in the film have for her; there's a reason she has sung with the Rolling Stones on every tour they've taken since the '80s, and sung backup for everybody from Sting to Tina Turner to Luther Vandross (who produces about half of So Intense). An outsized talent like hers would seem destined for stardom; but after she recorded this album for Elektra in 1991, she retreated from the spotlight, never to cut an album under her own name again, even though the record spawned three hits including "How Can I Ease the Pain," which went to #1 on the charts and won a Grammy. Our Real Gone Music reissue features liner notes by Pat Thomas and five bonus tracks. You need to hear this woman sing.