I’ve had previous occasion to share my overwhelming preference for covers of Bill Withers’ songs over the soul singer’s own recordings.

A post about Club Nouveau’s 1987 pumped-up take on “Lean On Me” prompted that declaration, and as a second cover of Withers’ classic claims this space today, I figured it worth repeating.

This time, the legendary Darlene Love takes “Lean On Me” to church, perfect for a Sunday spin. The Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer’s gospel-inspired interpretation is featured in the new documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom, in which Love and other singers recount their days as a backup vocalist for hire, hoping to get their moment in the spotlight but often being stifled for various confounding, frustrating reasons. (Love was on the receiving end of one too many broken promises from producer Phil Spector, and for a time, left the music industry and cleaned houses to make ends meet.)

The message of “Lean On Me” has always been a universal one, but with Love taking the lead and Lisa Fischer, Jo Lawry, and Judith Hill on backing vocals, it’s now the sound of a support group forming for these talented women who’ve stood in the shadow of more famous musicians, anxious for their star to shine just as bright.

If you can’t stream via Spotify, Love visited The Late Show with David Letterman last week, performing a similar arrangement of “Lean On Me” with some less famous backup singers on hand:

Though Darlene Love has been Letterman’s guest every December for over 20 years, performing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with Paul Shaffer and his band, last week marked the first time she’d ever sat down for an interview with Dave.

Twenty Feet From Stardom is now showing in New York and Los Angeles, with a wider release planned in coming weeks. It’s a story that’s long needed to be told, and I can’t wait to get my ticket.

Purchase Darlene Love feat. Lisa Fischer, Jo Lawry, and Judith Hill – “Lean On Me” (Bill Withers cover) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.