‘Walking Down The Line’ is career retrospective by East Belfast based songwriter and musician Anthony Toner. Covering a twelve year period from 2002 to 2014 this is delightful look back on the thoughts, sounds and observations of this very talented song smith. If you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere for the past twelve years then this is the perfect introduction to Anthony’s music and, if like us you’ve seen him perform on a few occasions then you’ll know the material as the majority of it features regularly in his live shows.
‘Cousins At Funerals’ is great observational song. “I’m always meeting cousins at funerals, we’re always saying we should get together, but we never do”. We’ve all been in that situation and as the song progresses it also touches on the pains of growing up, yet it isn’t a sad song, more an acknowledgment of inevitable change along life’s journey.
“Sailortown” is a tribute to lost love and lost places. “There’s nobody left here that works at the docks it’s all urban renewal and apartment blocks”. Dates under the stars by the river on a cold Belfast evening drinking cheap wine applies to many cash strapped teenagers who’ve scraped up the money for a bottle of wine and fish supper under the stars. Nods to the Rotterdam bar and Belfast’s divided politics are here as is the realisation of young love lost when college beckons and lives slowly, but surely grow apart.
‘Marion, That’s Alright’ sees Anthony emulating one of his heroes the great James Taylor. Its catchy melody and chorus could easily sit on ‘Mud Slide Slim’. Indeed, Mr Toner has been known to go out and play that album in full as a tribute to his hero and if you ever get the chance to see him doing it then we whole heartedly recommend you go along.
Over the years we’ve seen Anthony play with various musicians, but mostly solo and the immediate thing we notice about this collection is that with full band backing it really allows the songs time to ebb, flow and breath. The arrangements are perfectly matched to the lyrics and the mood of the songs. Hammond organ features on a lot tracks. Slide guitar is present throughout which isn’t really surprising considering Anthony is an accomplished slide player himself.
‘The Duke Of Oklahoma’ is a whimsical tale of self importance, obsession and stalking all told in a very tongue and cheek set of lyrics. “His mental states on roller skates flying down a hill” is without doubt one of our favourite lyrics. Probably the best known song in the collection is ‘Well, Well, Well’. Mostly known for the chorus which bookended Frank Mitchell’s weather forecasts on UTV a few years ago it is also probably one of the most misunderstood of Anthony’s songs. Written about the breakup of a marriage the line “it’s like your heart’s done time in jail” suddenly becomes more meaningful as does the familiar chorus. “Well, well, well turn my face up to the light. Well, well, well hope the days outnumber the nights” shows the yearning for the pain to end and better days ahead.
Other highlights include live favourites such as ‘East Of Louise’, ‘Nashville Snowflake’ and ‘The Road to Fivemiletown’. This collection covers Anthony’s first five albums and is the perfect tribute to a songwriter who is a skilful musician, arranger and all round nice guy. This isn’t a greatest hits collection; it’s an introduction to Anthony’s past, present and his future. We are looking forward to that future with anticipation as we know there is new album titled ‘Miles and Weather’ coming soon.
Anthony is currently on tour with Barbara Dickson and Andrea Begley.