Cape Breton native and songwriting lynchpin of the Rankin Family, Jimmy Rankin,  is appearing at the Algonquin Theatre this Friday, on Mar. 7.

 The artist 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 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 peoples’ experiences in the world.”

While contemporary and country radio stations across Canada have readily embraced such memorable hits as 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.”

Rankin 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.

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.