Rankin Family earns top marks at Auditorium
April 18, 1994
Star Phoenix
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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For the second time in less than a year, the Rankins captured the hearts of Saskatoon with a show that left everyone satisfied.
From the opposite end of the country from the Rankins came Blue Shadows in the unenviable spot of opening for the obvious crowd favorites. That this quartet was able to win converts is a tribute to its songwriting and singing.
Where the Rankins took the audience to the east coast and beyond, The Blue Shadows are rooted in the Smoky Mountains of Kentucky. Jeffry Hatcher and Billy Cowsill blended their plaintive voices in clear high harmonies of lonesome yearning.
Focusing on songs from its debut recording On the Floor of Heaven, the Blue Shadows only once veered into someone’s catalogue, with a rousing version of Joni Mitchell’s Raised on Robbery. This also was the band’s second appearance in Saskatoon, the first a poorly attended club show a month ago. But this is a band that deserves to be seen and heard.
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