Surrounded onstage by gyrating female fans, with others bopping in the aisles, Alexander O'Neal lived up to his soul-heartthrob hype last night, but only after surviving a rocky start.

In the flesh, the All True Man from Minneapolis turned out to be an unprepossessing sight, shaven-headed but not particularly tall or wide in his maroon nightshirt and single bling-type earring. Of regal robes, gigantic crucifixes and chest medallions there was no sign.

During his opening numbers he also kept complaining about his voice-mike - "Gimme some reverb, Jody, willya?" - in a moderate tenor that had none of the seductiveness of deep baritone types such as Barry White. But his faithful remained patient, aware that the seduction element lay more in his patter than the vocals themselves. Sure enough, sexy monologues enlivened hits like Hearsay, Fake and If You Were Here Tonight, the latter sung directly to a star-struck volunteer blushing furiously on an onstage chair.

Much later, responding to his surroundings - "This is a famous jazz club ain't it? Damn, it's never gonna be the same!" - O'Neal sang Guess Who I Saw Today, turning the Nancy Wilson ballad into a brief duet with his uncredited female backing singer. It may not have been jazz, and it may not have been subtle, but O'Neal and his slick eight-piece band swung progressively harder all evening.

"When I make love it's like a heavyweight fight!" he bragged at one point. "I can believe that," drily commented a nearby female voice, speaking no doubt for the unsmitten minority.