Alexander O'Neal

From Freepedia

Born on November 14, 1953, in Natchez, Mississippi, Alexander O'Neal was a member of The Time when the group first formed in 1980, but was dropped immediately from the group, supposedly for seeming "too black". As his vocals range in the same strength as Otis Redding's, O'Neal sings in the retro-style of soul when it comes to doing it in both the dance-pop numbers and modern, urban ballads. He is considered to be one of the very best artists that former, fellow Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had ever produced for. And he and Cherrelle have great chemistry together when it comes to doing the duets. O'Neal's albums are from his 1985 or'86 self-titled debut to 2002's The Saga of a Married Man. Currently, he resides in America where he's been touring and set up a permanent shop there.

The 1985 self-titled release was filled with streamlined grooves, including the funk jam "Innocent". The song was a funky Jam/Lewis groove, featuring "The Secret"- (Monte Moir, Cherrelle, Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis). "Innocent" sounds much like a song that The Time would have recorded. The song lasts for nearly 10 minutes, taking some really nice guitar and keyboard solos, and featuring the funk intermission of "Alex 9000". For people interested in funk, this is a must-have. Alex's 1986 release, titled "Hearsay" includes the smash hit "Fake". "Fake" is arguably one of the best songs ever made to feature the "Minneapolis Funk" sound. The only thing missing in this song is Morris Day, and even includes some of the old roll calls for the "fellas", "on the one" chants, and the asking of the old question "what's the word?".