Customer Reviews

Uprooted

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This large family of musicians hail from the east coast of Mabou, Cape Breton Island, Inverness Co., Nova Scotia. They have topped Canadian music charts with their unique Celtic-influence sound. Their idea was to keep Celtic tradition alive in their music. What started out as a hobby The Rankin siblings decision to do more. They recorded their first album and they drove across Nova Scotia to businesses where they began to sell their self-titled debut.

The album "Uprooted" (dedicated to their mother, Kathleen who died of breast cancer in 1997) is a blend of Irish, ancestral Scottish, Celtic and contemporary songs. It has electic zest, vitality and vigor heard from any Canadian Celtic band with a gamut of human emotions combining ethereal harmonies with pop grooves. The song 'Movin' On' is a drifter kind of sound with images of life on the road. The 'Parlour Medley' is an lively Irish jig. 'Weddings, Wakes and Funerals' has funky street beats and poetic spoken word from the dance hall themes. 'Long Way to Go' is packed with jam session attitude. The 'Farewell to Lochaber' is a tribute to their ancestral Scottish roots. The Gaelic, 'An Innis Àigh' (The Happy Isle) combines versatility of the ancient language and modern folk tradition. The whole album has a gritty and an edgy invocation. There's lots of fabulous piano, organ and fiddle arrangements in this album. The album was produced by three time Grammy winner George Massenburg having worked with James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat and Earth, Wind & Fire. It was recorded in Nashville and Nova Scotia. One can't go wrong with the quality of this album.
Once you try this album you may want to try out their other fruits of labor.
"Fare Thee Well Love"
"North Country" (Canadian Release)
"North Country" (American Release)
"Grey Dusk of Eve" (Canadian Release)
"Endless Seasons"
"Collection"
"Do You Hear...Christmas with Heather, Cookie and Raylene Rankin"
"Song Dog" (Jimmy Rankin)

Unforunately The Rankins have lost a gifted family member, John Morris Rankin who was killed in a tragic car accident in January 2000. This tragedy hasn't left the group undaunted. They continue to work onward to their goals in keeping the Celtic dream alive. If you're a Celtic music fan and like a Celtic and pop blend give them a try. This group shouldn't be passed up. A closer to fine recommendation for sure!

The Rankin Family's "Endless Seasons" is an album that I play again and again and again and again. "North Country" was a comparative disappointment, but "Uprooted" puts them back on track as far as my tastes are concerned. There's much more of a country music edge in this album, but the heavenly harmonies are still there. I hope the Rankins keep making an album at least once a year, because I will always be a fan (and, by the way, if Raylene has left the group, I sure hope they tempt her back). If you want a combo of Nashville and the Celtic mood, buy this album for sure!

I based my decision to purchase this recording on the previous releases from this group and I must say, I am very pleased. One will find elements in this album which you think at first Dixie Chicks?...Beck?...Clannad?....no....and yes to all of the above. This does not fit any particular genre unlike the "Endless Seasons" and "North Country" which could easily fit into the folk music genre.

If The Rankins are reading this, This is your best work yet....Well Done!

Very nice disk, that is similar to their earlier stuff, but with a nice flavour of Country and Western in the mix. I'm usually not a big fan of Country, but they've done a nice job of touching it without stepping on it, and the overall effect is really nice. The disk gets back to Mabou in the later tracks, which is wonderful as it reminds me of a wonderful vacation I spent with my future wife up there. I'm enjoying this disk as much as North Country and Endless Seasons, even with the new directions. And if this disk grows on me the way the other two did, I'm am in for a real treat.

The instrumentation is better too. Apparently they have been practicing, because the piano and guitar/mandolin tracks sound really good and really crisp. I think both production and playing are better.

Also worth getting the disk to see how much the photo of their dad looks like Jimmy. Holy Cow, they brought the right kid home from the hospital . . .

Somewhere along the way of the Rankins' 10 year journey, they discovered that artistic integrity and musicial experimentation were far more valuable than all of the platinum records they were given. This is a superb recording, venturing deep into roots/folk rock. Wrongly labelled as a new-country CD with the release of the first single "Movin' On", they were never really given a chance to prove otherwise. "Let It Go" is an exceptionally well-crafted roots song. "Long Way To Go" rocks. The traditional numbers, as always, are rock solid. The Rankins never were and never will be remembered as a traditional band who played country music just for kicks. They incorporated their roots sound into a variety of styles more successfully than any other group. Fittingly, this final recording is their most progressive. Every song oozes that rich earthy roots sound. Every group should be as adventurous as they were - it's a lot more interesting than doing the same sound over and over again. Uniquely Canadian, they will be missed.

I cannot believe that with all the reviews of this album people did not mention "Bells" This songs rivals such power songs as "Troy" by Sinead O'Conner and "Path Of Thorns" by Sarah McLaughlan...by far one of the best tracks on the CD and no hint of Nashville in it anywhere.

This recording is incredible. It has a wonderful variety of styles, ranging from country to celtic, with its jiggy tunes and mellow ballads. Each piece has one true thing in common: The gorgeous vocals of Cookie, Raylene and Heather. These ladies blend like the Roches, but with the added bonus of having beautiful voices to boot! Not only do I recommend listening to this CD, but I would also recommend doing so with earphones. There are so many interesting and subtle vocal nuances that one can easily miss when the album is played as background music. The Farmer's Daughter is a good example. Favorite tunes are Bells, One Day I Walk, Parlour Song, Let It Go and Greenberg Medley. This is one of the few CD's in my collection that didn't have to grow on me. I loved it as much the first time I heard it as I do now, and remain convinced that the best music on this earth comes from Canada's maritime provinces.

This is a disc that can be listened to over and over. The death on Jan 15,2000, of the oldest Rankin, John, ensures this will be the last real Rankin CD. A disc that will appeal to a wide array of listeners.

When I first heard this album I said to myself, "This band is breaking up." Different members were pulling in too many musical directions - the group identity so evident in previous albums was lost.

The main problem with this album is they're trying too hard for a hit. "Movin On" features every country-western cliche in the book, and I can go to the country section of a record store, pick up a disc at random, and find something that sounds just like "Let It Go." And "Maybe You're Right" could have been recorded 20 years ago by ABBA.

But then you hear Cookie's astounding vocal on Bruce Cockburn's "Someday I Walk", or the astonishingly original "Parlour Medley", or Heather's tribute to their late mother ("Cold Winds"), or Jimmy's ambitious but not quite successful attempt at a Celtic-rap hybrid ("Weddings, Wakes, and Funerals") and you remember what made this group so special.

I'll miss this group tremendously. But for those of you hearing them for the first time, I'd recommend you start elsewhere.

Toe-tapping, bluesy and Celtic at the same time...great harmonies! Little bit country, little bit rock 'n roll! One could listen to this CD often. Puts you in a good mood.