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Canadian Beats. By Dutch Bickell on December 1, 2017.
Heather Rankin undoubtedly has music running through her veins. From growing up in the tiny community of Mabou on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, Rankin has had a lifetime of making music. Both as a solo artist or a member of one of the beloved groups; the Rankin Family or the Rankin Sisters, Rankin has always kept her focus on making great music. Rankin has now released her first solo Christmas album, Imagine. The album captures the essential meaning of Christmas through her voice and carefully arranged classics.
Dec 01, 2017 by Jason Schneider. fyi music news.
For Heather Rankin, a member of Cape Breton’s celebrated Rankin Family, Christmas has always been a joyous affair. With that foremost in mind, she made Imagine, her first Christmas album, available Dec. 1 on iTunes and through heatherrankin.ca. Imagine mixes well-known Christmas classics with brand new compositions, along with a few unexpected but entirely appropriate selections such as the John Lennon-penned title track.
Overall, the album highlights Rankin’s ethereally sweet and evocative voice, along with her growing confidence as a songwriter with a melodic touch.
Heather Rankin released her first solo album, A Fine Line, in 2016, after decades performing and recording as part of Cape Breton’s renowned Rankin Family or Rankin Sisters. Just one year later, Imagine, will be her second solo release — and first Christmas album, apart from 1997’s Do You Hear…Christmas with siblings Cookie and the late Raylene.
“The goal of this record was to create something classic and beautiful, music that people will want playing in their homes for generations to come,” Rankin said via press release. “Music to listen to while having dinner or gathering with family and friends.
STEPHEN COOKE THE CHRONICLE HERALD
Published November 24, 2017 – 2:19pm
It’s been 20 years since the last time Heather Rankin got into the holiday spirit on record, with her sisters Raylene and Cookie on an album that became a Canadian Christmas classic, Do You Hear.. .
The timing seemed right to return to crisp, wintry sounds and her new release, Imagine, due out on Dec. 1, is a gorgeous evocation of Christmas and a compendium of the complicated mix of emotions the annual event often brings. There is nostalgia,
Heather Rankin knows there’s some irony in making a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” the title track of her first solo holiday album.“It was a conscious decision,” Rankin insisted, on the phone from Halifax.
Lennon’s famous song, released in 1971, expresses hope for a world with “no religion” filled with “people living for today.” He wrote: “Imagine there’s no heaven / It’s easy if you try / No hell below us / Above us only sky.”
Rankin explained: “I was raised in the Catholic church but I consider myself to be an open and accepting person and I’m still learning.
The Digby Courier. By James Mallory.
DIGBY, N.S. – The audience at a c
hurch in Digby is expecting to increase exponentially as a unique opportunity presents itself next month.
Tomato Tomato will be stopping by the Grace United Church on Dec. 20 as part of its Maritime Christmas 2017 tour. Special guests at this show include Dave Gunning, Heather Rankin and Ray Legere.
Reverend Alex Constable of the Grace United Church says the opportunity to welcome more people from the community is a wonderful gift.
“I think it’s something that we can give and use this God-given space to benefit people and to fulfill needs that are there,” he said.
As one of the writers of the Canada C3 song River of Nations, Heather Rankin is a well known friend of Canada C3. Heather took part in Leg 2, travelling from Montreal to Baie-Comeau. Now that a few months have passed since Heather’s time on our ship, we asked her for her thoughts on the experience.
“We visited some of the more remote communities in Canada and learned about their people and their beautiful cultures and traditions as well as some of the challenges they have faced for generations. I came away from the journey with a new understanding of some of the more painful parts of Canadian history involving First Nations,
Heather Rankin chats with Bill King on The Bill King Show with Genevieve Marentette and Heather Rankin (CIUT 89.5 FM). You can listen here!
