Hearsay is the second solo studio album by the American recording artist
Alexander O'Neal. It was originally released in the middle of 1987 by
Tabu and
Epic as the follow-up to O'Neal's critically and commercially successful 1985 album
Alexander O'Neal.
Hearsay explores similar genres to those of
Alexander O'Neal including
pop,
R&B,
soul,
post-disco,
funk, and
adult contemporary music, while also incorporating a newer genre,
new jack swing. The songs were largely recorded during 1986 to 1987 in sessions that took place at Flyte Time Productions, Inc. Studio A & B in Minneapolis, Minnesota, assisted by R&B songwriting and record production team
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It features contributions from guest musicians, including
Cherrelle,
David Eiland, and
Lisa Keith, and is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of O'Neal's early work.