Jimmy Rankin Readies Back Road Paradise For April 1 Release

Jimmy Rankin is gearing up to release his 6th solo LP Back Road Paradise on Song Dog Music/Fontana North, on April 1, 2014.  Back Road Paradise features 12 brand-new Rankin compositions, including lead-off single “Cool Car” and duets with Grammy winner and bluegrass icon Alison Krauss, as well as Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy.

Twenty-five years into a career that has seen him embraced as one of Canada's most beloved singer-songwriters and hit makers, with Platinum albums and pretty much every award the nation hands out, Rankin has decided now's the time: on his new Back Road Paradise. 

“For me, going country is a natural progression and that’s where I am right now”.  A news release promises “the catchiest batch of tunes Rankin's ever written, with all the hallmarks of what he does:  smart lyrics, great vocals, perfectly crafted songwriter material, couched in a bigger, modern country sound.”

The lead-off single “Cool Car” which just hit radio airwaves. The video was shot in Big Sur, California by award-winning director Margaret Malandruccolo.

Grammy winning bluegrass virtuoso Alison Krauss lends her vocals to the Jimmy Rankin-noire ballad “Flames”.  While the full-on duet with Canadian great Jim Cuddy,  “Never Gonna Leave”, rips out of the gate with the pair in perfect, driving harmony - a dream meeting of two voices that have dominated the Canadian airwaves for a quarter century.  "It's a fun dance song - think Everly Brothers but with a modern twist."

Jimmy Rankin, who cut his teeth on stages in and around his Cape Breton Island home, has established himself as one of the most hard-working and respected Canadian artists in the recording industry. Rankin’s career boasts multi-platinum sales and numerous industry awards for his work with The Rankin Family, as well as his five critically acclaimed solo records: 5 JUNOs, (including prestigious Entertainer of the Year), 27 East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs), 9 SOCAN Top Radio Play awards, 2 Music NS Awards, 2 Canadian Radio Music Awards (CRMAs) including Best New Solo Artist – Adult Contemporary, and 7 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs), including 2011 & 2012 Roots Artist of the Year.
 
Back Road Paradise Track Listing

01. Cool Car
 02. Falling So Hard
 03. Flames
 04. I’ve Got a Feeling
 05. Back Road Paradise
 06. Paris or Rome
 07. Never Gonna Leave
 08. Shades
 09. Blame It All On You
 10. Pull Out Your Picture
 11. Build This House
 12. Whiskey When the Sun Goes Down
 13. Back Road Reprise