Award-winning artist offers songs from his 2007 album Edge of Day

Jimmy Rankin, who won four ECMA and Juno Songwriter of the Year awards for the chart-topping Fare Thee Well, You Feel the Same Way Too, Followed her Around and Midnight Angel, is appearing at the Algonquin Theatre on March 7.

The Cape Breton native and songwriting lynchpin of the Rankin Family is touring his 2007 CD Edge of Day.

Rankin’s solo career is a mix of inspirations and songs from everyday life, whether it is alternative country, adult-contemporary, or rock-flavoured arrangements, depicting his life, emotions and observations.

“To me, writing a song is almost like creating a painting,” said Rankin, who offers 13 portraits on his new album.

“You build it and colour it until all of the images blend together as one complete portrait that tells some kind of story.”

Whether it’s the roots-scented shuffle of Stranded, the guilt-tinged poignancy of the album’s first single Slipping Away, the urgent fiddle-driven desperation of Got to Leave Louisiana, the romantic resignation of Hopeless or the euphoric optimism of When I Rise, the musical tales woven on Edge of Day are born from the days Rankin has spent living and travelling the planet since his 2003 release Handmade.

“Over the past three years I’ve taken a lot of my inspiration from the world I see around me,” said Rankin, who recorded the album in Nashville and in Toronto during a busy year that also included a World Vision trip to Nicaragua and a recording reunion with The Rankins.

“Some of my songs are autobiographical, while others are about a story or something I heard. I do a lot of travelling, touring and reading and I think my songs reflect that. I’m always on the lookout for a good story and definitely tune into other people’s experiences in the world.”

For the first time Rankin has collaborated with other songwriters, with half the songs on the album involving the work of Gordie Sampson, Tom Wilson and Craig Northey.

“I’ve done some co-writing in my career, but never to the extent that I have for this album. It’s nice to be able to bounce ideas around, pick someone else’s brain and see what sticks. When you work with other writers, you learn tricks of the trade,” Rankin said.

Edge of Day is a contrast from its predecessors in other ways as well.

“It’s less harmony driven,” explained Rankin. “There’s mostly two-part on this record, which is just a different style for me. It’s also a lot looser and rougher than my other records.”

While contemporary and country radio stations across Canada have readily embraced such memorable hits as Followed Her Around, Butterfly, California Dreamer and Morning Bound Train, the fact is that Rankin didn’t choose songwriting, it chose him.

“Initially I had no intention of being a guy making records. I finished art school and thought I would form some kind of small pick-up band and play little legions and firehalls to support my art habit. As it turns out, it was the other way round.”

Although he eventually became the songwriting lynchpin of the Rankin Family – helping them to win 15 ECMAs, six Junos, three Canadian Country Music awards and propelling sales of over 2 million albums – Rankin was a late bloomer.

“It wasn’t until I was 19 that I had a breakthrough. I was bumming around Europe and sporadically writing, but nothing effective for me to call a good song. After that I enrolled at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and ironically bought my first guitar at that time. Only then did I really focus on learning to write.”

Rankin’s songs made their debut in a 1988 musical production featuring the music of the Rankin Family, with his material reflecting Celtic and traditional roots influences. Since those days he has branched out as a solo artist.

“There are really no holds barred for me, although I’ve tried to give each record a distinctive, yet cohesive sound,” said Rankin.

Tickets for Jimmy Rankin: Edge of Day are $35 plus GST and are available from the Algonquin Theatre box office, 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.

For more information visit www.jimmyrankin.com.