Album Notes

Released a month shy of Rankin's twenty-first birthday, "Cages of Fire" is a quick one-two punch, an unrestrained forecast of the potential of its follow-up, "The Distance."

Although it is his sophomore effort, “Cages” is an EP comprised of a mere six tracks. Even so, the scope of the record is very broad, each song having its own distinct personality. In less than a half-hour, Rankin covers much musical ground.

The disc opens with “The Ethereal Glow,” a bold ‘80s arena rock piece. Crunchy, melodic guitars and thick keyboards drive the song, while lyrically it's left to any number of interpretations.

The title track follows, an unabashed tribute to U2 with a little Peter Gabriel. Lyrically, Rankin is at the top of his game, with words that are poetic and simple, yet exceptionally deep. The music is played and sung with a passion that permeates the recording.

“Another Dead End” finds Anthony exploring his more groove-oriented side. Stacked backing vocals lift an incredibly memorable chorus, and dueling wah guitars offset by a stabbing piano make this track a signature cut.

“Trusted,” the most obvious candidate for single, is the heaviest of the songs here. Featuring a dirty, bluesy harmonica performance by Marc Reisman and a massive wall of power chords, it rides on an unforgettable chorus about an ex-girlfriend’s unfaithfulness. Backing vocal answers are tailor-made for live audience sing-a-longs.

The penultimate track, “You Make Me,” features Rankin's former keyboardist/backing vocalist Nina Sainato, then a relative newcomer to Anthony’s live band. A tender semi-acoustic pop duet, the song showcases the pair's natural vocal blend, and also helped lay the groundwork for his recognizable sound, which has continued to rely on female vocal textures.

“Still Searching,” the final cut, could’ve easily been pulled from a James Bond soundtrack. There is a mysterious, movie-like quality to it, and female vocals can be heard prominently on this track as well.

Rankin shows his cards on “Cages of Fire” in terms of key influences, but it proves to be an important step on the continuing road to forging his sound. As you near the explosive ending of "Still Searching," it feels not like the end of an extended play record, but rather the eve of something great to come.