UK audiences have a special place in the heart of soul singer Alexander O’Neal.

As he prepares to come to Colne Muni next week as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of his album Hearsay, Alexander looked back on the special relationship which has endured for three decades.

“I always look forward to coming to perform for my fans in the UK,” he said. “It seems as though we have had this love affair for some 30-odd years.

“They were the first ones to tell the record company back in the States who they perceived Alexander O’Neal to be and who he was going to be and here we are all these years later.”

Hearsay was the album which catapulted Alexander on to the international stage featuring classic songs such as Criticize,and Never Knew Love Like This.

“When we started to record the album I started to realise that we had something special,” he said. “Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam kept coming up with these great songs and I was like ‘who’s is that?’ and they said ‘that’s yours’. Then there would be another and they’d say ‘that’s yours too’. When I left the studio after hearing those initial songs I just thought ‘we’re going to come along and kick some butt’.

“To get a successful album talks a lot of work. It’s not just a case of putting it out there. You have got to have a good product but I think I worked Hearsay for 16 months hardcore.”

To mark the album’s anniversary, Alexander has been back in the studio to record a new version - Hearsay 30 - which will be available at the live shows.

“I’ve been working with a great cast of producers in Manchester and we’ve put a slightly different twist on the music.

“I’m still singing all those songs in the same key which I can’t quite believe after all these years. The body belongs to me but the voice obviously belongs to God and he takes good care of it!

“It’s been really interesting being able to turn the songs around but make them so the fans will still recognise them.”

Hearsay will also form part of the live show which has taken careful planning.

“It’s great to have a bunch of songs but I can’t do all of them, I’d be there for a while,” he laughed. “But I am looking forward to playing songs the fans come to hear.

“It drives me crazy if someone is trying out a brand new album on me at a show. I always put together a tour with the fans in mind.”

As well as Hearsay 30, Alexander has also been working on a brand new album which he hopes to have out next year.

Alexander will be coming to Colne with his nine-piece band.

“Most of the cats in the band are UK based and have been with me for years,” he said. “They are among the best musicians around and they really do understand what I’m doing.

“Our philosophy is that we don’t take anything off. We give it everything we got.

“I’m not jumping as high as I used to do, I’m not running among quite as much but we’re still doing it, holding it down and keeping it funky.”

Alexander O’Neal, Colne Muni, Friday, December 1. Details from 01282 661234 or www.themuni.co.uk