Date:  November 7, 2015
Jimmy Rankin is going for it.  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, you’ll hear him like never before, full-on country.  Of course, country fans and radio stations have always been happy to have Jimmy Rankin in the family, and so have folk, pop and traditional audiences.  He’s one of the most versatile writers and performers around, but for his sixth solo album, he’s a man on a mission. The result is 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. Above all, it’s still Jimmy, that familiar voice, homespun and heartfelt, capable of taking you to the deepest emotions, or the best party.