He is something of an enigma, our Paul Carrack. He writes a fair tune, plays a cracking bit of blues piano and is arguably the best male vocalist this side of the Atlantic.

So why isn't he huge? The faithful fans were out in force at Fairfield Concert Hall on December 7 to support their man and they will argue, of course, that he is already a star, before running through an impressive list of his credits.

As with many bands these days, the show was in two distinct halves - a laid-back 'unplugged' first set, followed by an electric second.

The first half of the show, despite containing strong material in Eyes of Blue and My Kind, dedicated to his daughter, was rather lacklustre.

After the break, however, those same musicians changed beyond recognition; during a blistering Better Than Nothing, they were miraculously transformed into the hottest little funk band on the planet, later hitting the same groove with Make Your Mind Up.

He could and should have become the finest white soul singer we have and it is no coincidence that they closed a barnstorming finale with Sly Stone's Dance to the Music.