Emma Rugg's Directions Tour (2/2) By Steve Rudd

(1/2), (2/2).

New tracks such as Fireworks and Round The Corner are also brought to life, Emma's distinctive, spine-chilling voice consistently sounding sublime, regardless of whether she's singing her heart out in a quiet cafe environment, or a packed bar teeming with inebriated revellers. Henry, meanwhile, plucked the majority of the tunes he played at their shows from his Remnants of A Conversation and Floating Islands releases. As a result, songs such as It's Good To See You Happy, Simple Consolation and Each Day regularly worked their way into their sets. Emma sung or strummed along on I've Been Thinking, Good Intentions and Lies on occasion.

Whenever Emma was unable to shoot footage, either Henry or his wife Chris Arvidson assumed the role as camera person. Eager to capture as much of their trip in digital format as possible, the viewer is also lucky enough to be able to see the types of landscapes through which they passed as they travelled cross-country. Off-the-cuff footage of the ravishing, snow-smothered mountain scenery which basks on the doorstep of Henry's home in North Carolina demands as much attention as passing shots of Amish folk clip-clopping along the road in Ohio on a horse-pulled cart.

In addition, stunning footage of roadside trees, smashed to smithereens by a storm, crops up in the wake of a caught-on-camera conversation with a guy called Brendan at The Cave in Chapel Hill who waxes lyrical about the time he dropped by the humble venue to find Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck casually chilling within. It's glaringly obvious from the way he swoons about them that he has long held REM in high regard.

Languishing in a league of its own, the Directions documentary provides a priceless insight into the excitement of edging into the unknown, of throwing a couple of acoustic guitars into the back of car and putting one's foot down in order to skip town. It's always interesting to see not only what the wider world has to offer you, but also what you have to offer it.

In spurts, the documentary can even be likened to a fly-on-the-wall travel show as Emma enthusiastically describes how her and Henry are driving over the Ohio River or strolling down Washington D.C.'s Mall in real time.

Emma also got the chance to meet Mayor Meeker in Raleigh in order to present him with a gift from the Mayor of Hull; for those not in the know, Raleigh in North Carolina and Kingston Upon Hull in England are twin cities. In this respect the documentary serves to educate as well as entertain, with an excerpt of an interview with a man called DG Martin informing viewers about how Raleigh is named after Walter Raleigh, the English writer, poet, soldier, courtier and explorer. All of the featured interviews are fascinating. Many are illuminating; others are downright hilarious. Indeed, Emma's documentary succeeds in being hugely entertaining on many levels.

Even if you've never heard Emma's or Henry's music before, you will still be able to enjoy the footage that's been filmed and edited because it is totally unpretentious in nature.

It literally is what it is: nothing's theatrically staged for the sake of it, and nothing is forced. It is subtly dramatic on its own terms. The people are genuine; the travels are inspiring; the songs are life-enhancing. Throbbing at the core of each episode are the sublime live performances, and Emma's voice has never sounded better than when scaling the high notes of Fireworks and Round The Corner at a house party, even if she does have to comically improvise and say 'hello' when somebody's ringing phone unwittingly steals Emma's thunder.

Climaxing with a heartfelt rendition of Henry's Lonely Child number, come the end of the final episode you really feel like you've been on the state-hopping journey yourself. Mirroring the nature of their songs, the trip is an emotional rollercoaster of horizon-broadening proportions.

What's more, as the lilting strains of Emma's spellbinding Oceans - a hypnotic and infectious song which she penned at high altitude on a flight to Michigan - stir for one last time during episode twelve, you come to realise it's a journey that you really don't want to end. Honest, light-hearted and revealing, the documentary is a work of art, a labour of love of which Emma should be immensely proud. Vying to post each of the twelve episodes of the Directions Tour documentary on her 'YouTube' page over the course of six weeks, the publicity that the documentary will inevitably generate is bound to reap huge long-term rewards for both Emma and Henry.

It might have taken two stressful years to produce, but the trials and tribulations which have been part and parcel of the editing and production process have been worth enduring. Emma is now in a position to once again move forward with her career, having already written the lyrics to many new songs. Henry, meanwhile, is also working on fresh material. 'I've been playing and writing and hoping for the chance to record a whole new suite of songs later this year, say around Thanksgiving time,' he recently confided. That in mind, watch this space - but just make sure you watch the documentary first!

Documentary Credits: Filmed, edited and produced by Emma Rugg. Post Production and animation by Steve Clappison. Additional filming by Henry Doss and Chris Arvidson. For more information about Emma Rugg visit - www.myspace.com/emmarugg For more information about Henry Doss visit - www.myspace.com/henrydoss For more information about the Directions Tour Film visit - www.emmarugg.com See the Directions Tour Film at - www.youtube.com/EmmaRuggTV

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