Jimmy Rankin Solo Answers Call Of The Wild

Much of the Rankin Family band’s success was arguably due to the excellent song writing and soulful vocals of Jimmy Rankin. If you’re a fan of the band’s award winning ten CD catalogue and are looking to hear the Mabou, Cape Breton musician at his best push the old material to the side and turn your attention to the songs Rankin’s sung since striking out on his own.

Jimmy is set to offer his latest solo effort Edge of Day to a devoted fan base and love-at-first-listen converts on May 1st. In conversation, Rankin is candid about the differences between writing as part of a group and the intimidating pleasure of writing for oneself.
“There’s definitely a sense of freedom, that’s for sure. I can do pretty much whatever I want to do, although I did that with the Rankins anyway,” Jimmy said in a recent interview.
“With my thing, my solo records, it’s definitely wide open. I guess it was a combination of a sense of liberation and a sense of…I don’t know if intimidation is the word, but you pretty much have to rely on yourself and the people you’re working with. With the Rankins, you had four or five other people to fall back on and ask questions and make decisions with.”
Relying on himself seems to be working well for Rankin. 2002’s Song Dog hollered in no uncertain terms that Rankin, the solo artist, had arrived. The album was met well by the music community and fans alike. Followed Her Around, co-written with fellow Cape Bretoner (and now Grammy winner) Gordie Sampson, received East Coast Music Award for Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and a Canadian Country Music Award for Roots Artist of the Year. With a successful first album and critically acclaimed second disc, Handmade, under his belt, it seems unlikely that Rankin will ever look back. It’s for the best: the tack of his career, Rankin says, has satisfied him and his fans – both old and new.
“The records are definitely a change in direction, especially Song Dog, the first one. It’s a different style. I grew up listening to a lot of different styles of music, and Song Dog was definitely a good indication of that eclectic mix of music. It reflects a lot of the music I listen to and it definitely came through on that record. I definitely have loyal fans from those days, but I’ve made new fans along the way too.”
Those fans have been waiting in anticipation for Edge of Day. Recorded in Nashville during the spring of 2006, Rankin found himself unable to finish the mastering of the record until January, due to his commitment to the recording of a new Rankin Family CD and promotional tour. Proud of his latest offering, Rankin says he’s eager to see the recording reach listeners. Looking back at the creation of Edge of Day, Rankin insists that the project’s long completion time served him well.
“Usually with me, with my first two solo records, I basically went from mixing them to mastering them. Once you master them? That’s it. It’s pretty much signed, sealed and delivered. With this project I had a lot of time between the final mixes and the mastering. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I had time to re-do stuff, but I did have time to think about how if I did want to re-mix it, could be done. I lived with it for a while. I’d leave the disc for a bit and I’d go back and maybe go back and listen to it a month later. When I re-listen to it, it just sounded fresh to me. It didn’t make me want to cringe. It’s a very good sign when I can go back to something after a period of time of not listening to it and then listen to it and still think that it’s right. It’s gonna be something I listened to years down the road. If it was right for the time, it’s gonna hold up for me. One thing that I really like about this record is the songs. Half of the record is a co-write that I’ve written with other artists, and I feel that I’ve got some really great songs here.”
The great songs that Rankin and his co-writers were able to pen came to sound all the better under the guidance of musician-producer Colin Linden of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. Rankin says that he couldn’t be happier with the results Linden helped him to churn out.
“He’s a skilled musician, songwriter and producer. He has a very organic approach to recording. He just assembles the band and basically goes for it.” said Rankin.
“With my other records, I spent a lot of time perfecting vocals and doing vocal overtakes. With this one it was basically singing live with a band, and maybe going in to do a couple of takes after we had the track. Going for the moment – going for the take: I think that’s the way Colin works, and I enjoy it. I’m a live performer and when you’re performing live you only get one shot at it. You don’t have the chance to go back and fix it. You go for it. You’re in the moment.”
Here’s hoping that Rankin’s career host more such moments for the world to enjoy.