MANY teenagers bopped to the soulful tones of Alexander O'Neal while crimping hair and applying blue mascara in the 80s.

Danielle Nuttall

Alexander O'Neal, Ipswich Corn Exchange, last night

MANY teenagers bopped to the soulful tones of Alexander O'Neal while crimping hair and applying blue mascara in the 80s.

The singer came to epitomise soul during the decade, along with the legendary Luther Vandross, with romantic ballads that made grown women wilt and snappy dance tunes for the disco.

Having sung one of the most romantic tracks of the 1980s, If You Were Here Tonight, Alex has returned to what he does best for his UK comeback tour - power love songs.

The new show, which arrived at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich last night, is inspired by his new album, Alex Loves, a collection of famous love songs including Take That's A Million Love Songs and Atlantic Starr's Secret Lovers, in which he duets with Mica Paris.

Alex still has a huge fan base in the UK and his popularity was clearly evident last night judging by the female-heavy crowd.

Dressed in a metallic blue suit, Alex burst onto the stage belting out his old classic, What's Missing.

By the second, All True Man, dozens of women had rushed to the front of the stage - one even offered him her handkerchief.

Alex told the crowd over the years there had been many great love songs he wished he had written before offering a powerful soul version of A Million Love Songs. He followed it up with a spine tingling rendition of Heatwave's Always and Forever which left the crowd swaying in unison.

“This is not a show, this is a party,” he told the crowd, and he wasn't wrong.

The decade may have faded but this 80s soul legend's voice is still as big as ever.

Danielle Nuttall