THE sultry-voiced Alison Moyet showed at the Dome the benefit of coming through the ranks to learn your trade.

Long before she hit success as one half of Yazoo, Moyet was honing her contralto voice on bands with names like the gloriously-monickered Screamin Ab Dabs. And it showed in the most positive way during this entertaining gig as Brighton-based Moyet displayed depth, power, and poise.

Moyet naturally took the opportunity to plug her most recent album, Other. The title track, a technically challenging song and rather melancholy, showed she can handle a sensitive lyric beautifully. The Changeling, from the previous album The Minutes, was a complete contrast, a riveting and thoroughly sophisticated modern sound, while the reflective I Was Your Girl showed Moyet’s clever way with words.

Now in her 50s, Moyet hints of soul and blues, and the lyrics of her newer songs run deep, especially the emotional The English U, with a strong connection to her mother’s death from Alzheimer’s. There were nods to the stellar Yazoo days shared with Vince Clarke, with Only You proving a resounding hit for the audience along with its B-side Situation, the song that got the sell-out crowd dancing.

The funky Love Resurrection, a passionately delivered Invisible and the powerfully dramatic All Cried Out were all well received by the fans and Moyet’s voice was never stronger than on the driving Whispering Your name. Moyet’s intelligent and often dark lyrics sometimes suffered from being swamped by her backing, especially some pounding bass, but that should not detract from the excellent work of the two musicians John Garden and Sean McGhee.

In a world of here-today- gone- tomorrow singers, Moyet’s genuine ability endures. On this occasion it also raised thousands of pounds for Brighton Samaritans, Moyet generously giving all profits to the charity.