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4

TUESDAY

The Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, country-folk-pop ensemble the Rankins, previously known as the Rankin Family, has adopted a tougher sound to match its shortened name. Its just-released recording, Uprooted, opens with the rockin’ “Movin’ On,” and even the traditional ballads and tunes the band tackles have a new edge. “Parlour Medley,” for example, a collection of Scottish mouth-music songs in which voices take the place of instruments, is moved along energetically by breathy but authoritative Gaelic vocals. But longtime Rankin Family fans should be pleased to know that even with all the rockin’ and rollin’, the group’s vocal harmonies remain—and are still the band’s greatest strength. The Canadian country-rock ‘n’ reel begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $22.50. (703) 549-7500. (Ken Roseman)