Saga of a Married Man

Saga Of A Married Man is the seventh album from Alexander O'Neal and although his finest hour will forever be the release of his 1987 master-piece Hearsay, which made him the undisputed king of finger clicking 80s soul and the double breasted suit, Saga suggests that he's far from done smooching with the ladies. Nor is he living on past glories. While "You're Gonna Miss Me" and "I'm There" are reminiscent of the super slick, synth bass soul of Hearsay's hits "Fake" and "Criticise", Saga Of A Married Man has the 50 year old crooner more than holding his own in the fiercely competitive world that is modern-day R'n'B. It's safe to say that the scatter-shot Timbaland style beats and string stabs of opening gambit and standout track "He Said She Said" aren't what most would expect from O'Neal. But he carries them off better than most. And with his silky smooth gospel tones and ability to sweet talk the ladies intact, tripping ballads "It Don't Matter", "It's OK" and "Last Night" put him well ahead of the likes of Montell Jordan and R Kelly in the lady killer stakes. The sickly "Happy Home" and his confusing stance on fidelity aside, as come backs go, Saga Of A Married Man is pretty damn impressive.