Alexander O'Neal (born 19 November 1953), is an American
rhythm and blues singer, songwriter and arranger from
Minneapolis,
Minnesota. In a career spanning more than 30 years, O'Neal is an accomplished soul and
rhythm and blues singer. O'Neal came to prominence in the middle of the 1980s as a solo artist, releasing fourteen singles that entered the top forty charts in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s. His solo singles, sometimes dealing with lost love include "
If You Were Here Tonight", "
Fake", "
Criticize", "
The Lovers", "
(What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me", "
The Christmas Song", "
All True Man", "
Love Makes No Sense", "
In the Middle" and ¨
What's Missing¨. He is also known for duets with fellow R&B singer and
Tabu labelmate
Cherrelle such as "
Saturday Love" and "
Never Knew Love Like This".
AllMusic has described O'Neal as having a "tough voice [that] has the same grain and range as that of
Otis Redding."