what starts out as a monotonous talking-head musical history lecture turns into a rich land of louisiana discovery , as robert mugge adventures into the various landscapes of that colorful state . three different sections of louisiana are documented along the journey , northern , southern , and southwestern louisiana , separated by maps and cutesy subtitles . the latter two are the best installments , in that they allow the charismatic performers direct camera time without the interference of a boring onscreen interviewer . each county has a different character , style , instruments , and sound , all distinct in their origins , as local experts tell us , and mugge respectfully picks up these discerning traits . where one town declares that race isn't an issue , the other shows how racial tensions actually aided in black and white musicians inspiring one another . southern louisiana has a strong cajun/creole base , while northern louisiana leans towards guitar and a cappella singing . as a whole , this documentary is well layered with performance and testimony but could easily have been shorter and made the same impact on an audience . in the first section especially , numerous concert performances run superfluously through an entire song , with the camera panning to and fro , looking for something to do . every person put in front of the camera is introduced , but only half the multitude leave much of a mark . the director of the louisiana folk festival expounds on the glories of louisiana's past for an interminable period of time , but most of what he says goes in what ear and out the other . on the other hand , there's a remarkably short section devoted to a 28-year disc jockey veteran , sister pearlee tolliver . she spends her two hours on the radio exclaiming commercials in a gospel voice , with a couple of records thrown in , and she amuses too much to forget . as standard documentaries go , the expected talking heads are mixed in with live concert performances . but most endearing are the discussions with actual performers about their influences and playing style , and reminiscences about their colleagues . these interviews , juxtaposed with the local connoisseurs , provide a solid foundation for the musically ignorant and die hard fan . one of the best portraits is that of kermit ruffins , a local favorite in southwestern louisiana . he takes the historical roots of jazz and blues and mixes them with his own modern experiences growing up in the streets . popularity hasn't blown his ego either , as once in a while he barbeques for his audience out of the back of his truck . other details compliment this musical voyage . the first record store in louisiana , floyd's , is renowned for shipping impossible-to-find music all over the world . the original owner still runs it and helps to promote new talent such as rosie ledet . rosie was a housewife who taught herself how to play the accordion and she now sings and tours with her husband's band . at once mousy and humble , this lady has gone on to break ground for female artists in the zydeco field . before walking into to this film , one might think that all of louisiana could be clumped into a simple stereotype . it takes a while to be interested in the material , but once the filmmaker moves onto southern louisiana , it's hard to look away from the screen . 
