Red Deer, AB - January 24, 2007, ENMAX Centrium

RANKINS MAKE GRAND RETURN - By Penny Caster - Red Deer Advocate

The keening harmonies, the sometimes fairly rockin' Celtic tunes and the fabulous fiddle segments were all there, at The Rankin Family concert Wednesday night.

The Cape Breton family, touring together for the first time since disbanding eight years ago, packed at least 2,500 enthusiastic fans into Red Deer's Enmax Centrium for the show.

Jimmy Rankin led off the group's set with Roving Gypsy Boy, one of his own tunes.

Then Cookie Rankin sang lead vocals on Borders and Time, and that was followed by Raylene singing her own song, Gillis Mountain.

And so went the evening.

The talented family took turns in the spotlight and the three sisters, Cookie, Raylene and Heather, demonstrated the harmonizing they do so very well.

The choice of tunes featured mostly old favourites with some from the new album and they were well-paced — the mood would get sombre with one song only to be lifted to the rafters by the next one.

The Rankin family was rocked seven years ago, shortly after the group broke up, when its anchor, John Morris Rankin, was killed in an auto accident.

Then, just before this reunion tour set out, an older sister, not a current group member, died suddenly.

Tribute was paid to the pair during the show when Raylene explained “no words can describe our sorrow,” and the family left the stage while pianist Mac Morin played a piece.

Other songs performed during the evening included The Fisherman’s Song, during which Raylene coaxed the more-than-willing audience to sing along to the “la la la la” part, Fare Thee Well, a rousing version of the traditional song, Tell My Ma, Rise Again, Mull River Shuffle, Orangedale Whistle, and Gone, a song from the new album.

There was a sense of the continuum of the musical heritage of Atlantic Canada with the appearance of two members of the up-and-coming generation.

One was Molly Rankin, John Morris’s daughter, who both sang and played the fiddle, and the other was Dawn Langstroth, who opened the show.

Langstroth plays guitar and sings a folk-pop blend of music and has a clear, strong and expressive voice.

Though raised in Ontario, she has serious Nova Scotia connections, she is Anne Murray’s daughter.

The Rankin Family were backed up by a talented band that included Cape Breton fiddler Howie MacDonald.

He and Molly Rankin paired up for a couple of demonstrations of fiddle virtuosity that had the crowd well revved up.

The Rankin Family set ended with a dazzling display of step dancing which was led off by Morin, who comes from a long line of step dancers and it shows.

This was an entertaining, well-paced show that obviously delighted the audience.

It was good to see the Rankin Family together again, though sadly without John Morris.

Let’s hope they don’t wait too long before returning.