Jimmy Rankin

Following the break-up of the Rankin Family a few years back, principal songwriter Jimmy has released his first solo record. From the punchy opening riff and ensuing chorus of "Followed Her Around," harmonised by Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo), this record holds the promise of an outstanding writer. Rankin manages to blend crunchy pop ("Drunk and Crucified"), alt-country ballads ("Midnight Angel") and East coast folk ("We'll Carry On"). However, the largely successful full-band arrangements on the first-half of the album later give way to a batch of mediocre songs performed acoustically. Even still, Rankin possesses a genuine sincerity in his lyrics and melodies. At his best, he is able to distil human emotions and make them fit into four-minute pop songs.