The MJR Group by arrangement with SJ Media presents
REVIEW
ALEXANDER O’NEAL
‘THE RESURRECTED TOUR’
SUPPORTED BY JAY JAMES
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
18th April 2018
REVIEW
ALEXANDER O’NEAL
‘THE RESURRECTED TOUR’
SUPPORTED BY JAY JAMES
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
18th April 2018
Alexander O’Neal walks on to the stage, complete with black lamé jacket and waving his trademark white handkerchief which will oft mop his brow throughout his appearance at Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion.
He may not be as sprightly as he was when he first stormed the R&B and soul charts having hits with many a classic club tune and foremost with the Hearsay album back in the mid eighties. However, what he lacks in stamina, he more than makes up for with his sheer enthusiasm and joy at being able to perform in front of his loyal fans. Alexander’s followers have always been there for him and they certainly showed their support from the Essex stable at the Southend leg of the tour with a completely sold out venue.
The audience couldn’t have been any happier with Alexander kicking off the evening with the aptly titled, What Can I Say To Make You Love Me. Fans were treated to all the favourites and despite Alexander telling us that he’s “going to be taking things at a slower pace" - he’s 64 now, you know - he still manages to whip the crowd on to their feet, cranking up the reverb with feisty renditions of The Lovers, What’s Missing and a couple of rocking duets with backing singer Robina who joins him with Never Knew Love Like This and Saturday Love.
Talking of backing singers - Alexander takes the opportunity to have a short rest and change into a fresher outfit an hour into the set which gives his talented backup singers a chance to showcase their vocals for a few numbers. This includes a Prince cover, which surprised me - if you’ve read Alexander’s autobiography, All True Man, you’ll know why; suffice to say that when the pair originally knew each other, there was seemingly not a lot of love lost when Prince essentially poached Alexander’s band from him.
Having read All True Man and knowing the life-style and struggles that Alexander has had over the years, it is obvious the man has one hell of a lot of sheer grit and determination to succeed and more importantly survive which propels him to perform. He clearly loves to perform and has recently re-recorded the Hearsay album (Hearsay30) with the band, Mumma Freedom, who hail from Manchester where Alexander now resides. He also has a new album coming out, of which he sings us one of the tracks backed by his co-writer on keys, which has a raw quality to it and I can’t wait to hear the finished result of this latest production.
Of course, Alexander O’Neal fans wouldn't allow him to finish a gig without hearing two of his biggest hits, which still receive a huge amount of airplay on radio shows all over the world, and he doesn’t disappoint. They are, of course, Criticize and for an encore a fully ramped up, all guns blazing version of Fake, leaving the fans on their feet and dancing like it was 1985 all over again. Alexander tells us during the evening how much he loves the Essex girls but I think it's safe to say that the Essex girls love him more!
Review: Kim Tobin
Interview Here
He may not be as sprightly as he was when he first stormed the R&B and soul charts having hits with many a classic club tune and foremost with the Hearsay album back in the mid eighties. However, what he lacks in stamina, he more than makes up for with his sheer enthusiasm and joy at being able to perform in front of his loyal fans. Alexander’s followers have always been there for him and they certainly showed their support from the Essex stable at the Southend leg of the tour with a completely sold out venue.
The audience couldn’t have been any happier with Alexander kicking off the evening with the aptly titled, What Can I Say To Make You Love Me. Fans were treated to all the favourites and despite Alexander telling us that he’s “going to be taking things at a slower pace" - he’s 64 now, you know - he still manages to whip the crowd on to their feet, cranking up the reverb with feisty renditions of The Lovers, What’s Missing and a couple of rocking duets with backing singer Robina who joins him with Never Knew Love Like This and Saturday Love.
Talking of backing singers - Alexander takes the opportunity to have a short rest and change into a fresher outfit an hour into the set which gives his talented backup singers a chance to showcase their vocals for a few numbers. This includes a Prince cover, which surprised me - if you’ve read Alexander’s autobiography, All True Man, you’ll know why; suffice to say that when the pair originally knew each other, there was seemingly not a lot of love lost when Prince essentially poached Alexander’s band from him.
Having read All True Man and knowing the life-style and struggles that Alexander has had over the years, it is obvious the man has one hell of a lot of sheer grit and determination to succeed and more importantly survive which propels him to perform. He clearly loves to perform and has recently re-recorded the Hearsay album (Hearsay30) with the band, Mumma Freedom, who hail from Manchester where Alexander now resides. He also has a new album coming out, of which he sings us one of the tracks backed by his co-writer on keys, which has a raw quality to it and I can’t wait to hear the finished result of this latest production.
Of course, Alexander O’Neal fans wouldn't allow him to finish a gig without hearing two of his biggest hits, which still receive a huge amount of airplay on radio shows all over the world, and he doesn’t disappoint. They are, of course, Criticize and for an encore a fully ramped up, all guns blazing version of Fake, leaving the fans on their feet and dancing like it was 1985 all over again. Alexander tells us during the evening how much he loves the Essex girls but I think it's safe to say that the Essex girls love him more!
Review: Kim Tobin
Interview Here
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Warm up act for Alexander O’Neal was the soulful singing talent of 2014 X-Factor finalist Jay James, who certainly proved that he is someone to keep an eye and ear out for. Supporting someone like Alexander O’Neal who has a firm fan base is never easy but James did a fantastic job, along with the two members of his band providing a good sound.
Unfortunately where I was sitting, in one of the left hand boxes, the sound wasn’t at a great level and a lot of the vocals were rather distorted which was a shame because James has a fabulous voice - hopefully this wasn’t the case for the rest of the theatre and won’t be for future venues. If you want to get a free download of a Jay James track, head to his website www.officialjayjames.com The tour continues...see below |
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Praised by critics for having a voice with the same grain and range as Otis Reading, Alexander O’Neal came to prominence as an RnB singer in both the US and UK territories with a stream of hits that included ‘If You Were Here Tonight’, ‘Saturday Love’, ‘Never Knew Love Like This’ & ‘Fake’. Originally signed in his early days by the late legend Prince, he has secured his name in the R&B history books, with a career that has spanned over thirty years. His much loved, chart smash 'Criticize' is still lighting up dance floors across the world today and became integral to the soundtrack of the teenage years of Generation X.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Alexander has created a cult appreciation across the globe, that transcends age and genre. His back catalogue transporting his singles into the UK and Billboard top tens as well as a triple platinum selling album and ever expanding discography. Having flirted briefly with and quickly shunned a celebrity TV career, Alexander’s heart is firmly in music and he remains loyal to the thousands who buy his records, with an ever present passion to keep his sound alive and contemporary.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Alexander has created a cult appreciation across the globe, that transcends age and genre. His back catalogue transporting his singles into the UK and Billboard top tens as well as a triple platinum selling album and ever expanding discography. Having flirted briefly with and quickly shunned a celebrity TV career, Alexander’s heart is firmly in music and he remains loyal to the thousands who buy his records, with an ever present passion to keep his sound alive and contemporary.
Alexander is looking forward to stepping into the footsteps of his hero Marvin Gaye, when he ends April’s tour on the hallowed stage of The London Palladium. He will be playing all of his hits and some new material. Alex is also thrilled that Jay James will be joining the tour, recognising him as a very current & talented soul singer/ songwriter, whose energy, style and vocals are guaranteed to win over Alex’s audiences out on the road.
Singer-songwriter Jay James burst onto the music scene in the summer of 2012 having written & featured on the song "Fly" by Cinematic. Labelled as a ‘Summer Anthem’ and championed by Radio 1 DJ’s Annie Mac & Trevor Nelson the song was released on Black Butter Records (home to Rudimental, Clean Bandit & Jess Glyne). His debut single ‘Long may they Roll’ hit the No2 spot in the Radio 1 RnB charts and he later became a household name, reaching the X factor finals as a hotly tipped favourite in 2014.
2018 will see the release of Alexander’s first studio album for 15 years, a sensational blues album, with an undeniable maturity to his great soul voice. He is also currently in the studio re-recording his most famous album, the million selling smash ‘Hearsay’ , due for release in time for Xmas 2017. Earlier this year he released his hard hitting, blockbuster autobiography, and has undertaken what will become a 50 date UK tour to celebrate 30 years of the album.
In his own words, Alexander says: “It’s gonna be a party and kind of right, you know it!”
Singer-songwriter Jay James burst onto the music scene in the summer of 2012 having written & featured on the song "Fly" by Cinematic. Labelled as a ‘Summer Anthem’ and championed by Radio 1 DJ’s Annie Mac & Trevor Nelson the song was released on Black Butter Records (home to Rudimental, Clean Bandit & Jess Glyne). His debut single ‘Long may they Roll’ hit the No2 spot in the Radio 1 RnB charts and he later became a household name, reaching the X factor finals as a hotly tipped favourite in 2014.
2018 will see the release of Alexander’s first studio album for 15 years, a sensational blues album, with an undeniable maturity to his great soul voice. He is also currently in the studio re-recording his most famous album, the million selling smash ‘Hearsay’ , due for release in time for Xmas 2017. Earlier this year he released his hard hitting, blockbuster autobiography, and has undertaken what will become a 50 date UK tour to celebrate 30 years of the album.
In his own words, Alexander says: “It’s gonna be a party and kind of right, you know it!”
Tour Dates 2018
Thursday 19th April Colston Hall, Bristol
Friday 20th April Town Hall, Birmingham
Tuesday 24th April De Montford Hall, Leicester
Wednesday 25th April London Palladium, London
www.Alexanderoneal.seetickets.com
www.facebook.com/alexanderonealofficial/
www.alexanderoneal.org
Thursday 19th April Colston Hall, Bristol
Friday 20th April Town Hall, Birmingham
Tuesday 24th April De Montford Hall, Leicester
Wednesday 25th April London Palladium, London
www.Alexanderoneal.seetickets.com
www.facebook.com/alexanderonealofficial/
www.alexanderoneal.org