Song dogs, according to online canine databases, are a breed of pooch known for their operatic howling, travelling in family packs and displaying a "working attitude" and gentle nature.

"Song Dog" is also the title of singer-guitarist Jimmy Rankins' debut solo album. But Rankin, who earned his musical reputation with his siblings in the now-defunct Cape Breton hitmakers The Rankins, laughs that the similarities -- singing, travelling in packs, etc -- are purely accidental.

"I got it from a book by an Irish author," Rankin explains via telephone from his home in Halifax.

"He makes reference to the legend of the song dogs; when the world was being born, these dogs would howl at the universe. I thought it was a good equation to make between the songwriter and artist and the song dog, howling our little songs and stories at the world."

"Song Dog," which arrives in record stores Tuesday, will surprise listeners accustomed to the traditional and middle-of-the-road flavor of The Rankin's music. The new record opts for a tougher rocking sound that could find a home with the burgeoning alt-country singer-songwriter movement.

"I wanted to rock out a little bit, beef up the guitars and the B3 (organ), and that's evident; go for it on the drums," he concedes.

"I didn't use any fiddle in there, and that is an obvious comparison I wanted to get away from."

While listeners may mark "Song Dog" as an abrupt departure from the music Rankin made with his sisters Cookie, Heather, Raylene and multi-instrumentalist brother John Morris, he says much of the material accumulated during his years of writing and touring with the band.

Several of the songs were pitched as potential Rankins material over the years, he explains.

"I used to throw tunes at everybody, and they either got thrown back at me, or we used them. The albums just seemed to kind of take a direction, where, if there was a feeling in pre-production, we would go for it.

"We kind of had our sound. The girls had their thing, and they are great at it. They are like me, they like all kinds of music, but they have a certain style they sing in."

Rankin went back through his box of songs and says he deliberately selected material that would emphasize his skill as a singer-songwriter.