Reviews
'' Irish News, March 29: 'Superbly played, literate and melodic songs'
Songwriter Raul Malo, former Mavericks frontman: 'Anthony is a singer/songwriter from Belfast who I had not
heard before. He is an immensely talented and nice gentleman. Some of his songs were absolutely beautiful... Some were dark and funny... Good stuff.'
Belfast Telegraph, February 21, 2008: ‘Impressive first night show from three musical authors’; Benny Gallagher, Iain Archer and Anthony Toner, Belfast Nashville Songwriters’ Festival, Madison’s Hotel Cellar. Performing many songs from his new album A Sky for Every Day, Anthony Toner may be the relative newcomer, but has little to learn either about songwriting. For Toner impressed most, as he has developed his writing and performing skills greatly and can now easily take his rightful place alongside such celebrated company. Support slots should now be a thing of the past for this local writer, with the romantic ‘Wake Up Holding Hands’ and ‘Sailortown’ (inspired by the Rotterdam Bar) standing out, as did his humorous taster of new unrecorded material, ‘The Duke of Oklahoma’.
Sunday World, February 17, 2008: Setting the Tone – Interview by Ivan Martin: No ‘moon in June’ material from this man. He operates outside the box.
Sunday Life - album review: A little bit country, a little bit pop, a little bit rock'n'roll, all packaged with bags of gentle charm.
Cherrie McIlwaine, February 29: The Late Show, BBC Radio Ulster – Album of the Week:
A Sky for Every Day is the lyrical, gently intriguing title of Anthony Toner's latest collection of songs, recorded in No Sweat studios and produced by Cosmic Clive Culbertson. Twelve tracks made the final cut and with showcase performances from some of Ireland's best session musicians including Rod McVey, Johnny Scott and Linley Hamilton, this is an album of melodic, articulate, perceptive, engaging songs. Tracks like ‘Cathy’, the first single ‘Sailortown’ and ‘Last Go Round’ come with their own built-in storyboards and throughout you'll hear gentle echoes of John Prine and James Taylor.
Strabane Unplugged Folk Club website:
A very talented songwriter with a velvet smooth voice that you can listen to all day. His songs are well put together and enhanced with a great touch on the guitar... Anthony's finger picking style is top notch and a credit to how much effort he puts into finding the right sound for his songs.
Newtownards Chronicle review feature: ‘Toner making waves with Sailortown’:
If you have been tuned into any of Northern Ireland’s local radio stations over the past week or two, you cannot fail to have heard a wonderfully engaging song by the name 'Sailortown'. Written some time ago about a changing Belfast landscape, its author Anthony Toner has followed it up with a fantastic new album, A Sky For Every Day, which is packed full of equally honest and immediately likeable tracks.
McLean’s Country – Review for the Eventually album (2002): Fine singer songwriter… an absolute gem of an album – it’s stunning
Arts Extra – the late Geoff Harden’s comment on Eventually (2002):
Very mature production… ‘So Good to See You Again’ could almost be a jazz standard. Perhaps it will be some day. A super album.
