Sing Under the Bridges is the fifth album from Belfast-based songwriter Anthony Toner, and extends his trademark acoustic approach into some exciting new territories, including elements of jazz and blues. Reaction to the album has been strong, with early live performances of the songs attracting favourable comments from audiences throughout Northern Ireland and in Canada, where some of the songs were completed during the summer. The idea of recording an album came as something of a surprise for Anthony, who did not have any plans to record in 2012: ‘The year started badly, with both of my parents being ill. And I had some health problems of my own, so I had intended to have a quiet year. ‘But by the end of January, I was sitting with at least three new songs and I realised that the universe had other plans for me this year. The early material was dark, and addressed some of the health questions fairly directly, but as the songs developed, the whole thing took on a more optimistic feel, and I’m pleased to say we found the light at the end of every tunnel. ‘And strangely, the more hope I invested in the writing of the songs, the more my parents health seemed to improve, so we all ended the year in much better shape, and with more to show, than we had expected.’ The title of the album comes from the first track, and sums up Anthony’s glass-half-full attitude to life: ‘Hold tight to your paddle – lose whatever weighs you down, and sing under the bridges’. Elsewhere, the album takes on some new colours, with trumpet and saxophone arrangements on a couple of songs, and the additional of violin, cello and banjo here and there. The album was recorded during the winter of 2012 at Clive Culbertson’s No Sweat studios in Coleraine, near the north coast of Northern Ireland, and features some of the finest musicians Ireland has to offer, including: Peter McKinney on drums, John McCullough on piano, Clive Culbertson on bass, Neil Martin on cello, John Fitzpatrick on violin, Linley Hamilton on trumpet and Meilana Gillard on saxophone. Anthony will be embarking on a string of solo performances throughout Northern Ireland in the spring of 2013 to support the release of the album. For more details of his activities, visit the website at www.anthonytoner.net