In the mid late Eighties Rick Astley was a multi-million selling boy wonder who was tipped by the man who discovered him, producer Pete Waterman, as being Britain's answer to Frank Sinatra. Astley had the boy next-door good looks but what really defined him was his wonderfully soulful, rich baritone voice that once heard, is never forgotten.

Astley's very first single, the enduring Never Gonna Give You Up', was a number one smash in the UK and went on to be a worldwide hit in sixteen countries. He became a star overnight and swiftly became popular with all demographics, achieving record sales of over nineteen million and scoring two number one hits in the US.

But, at the height of his fame and to the dismay of many, Rick Astley chose to walk away from the pop world and the glare of publicity which he was never particularly comfortable with at the time and opted instead, to enjoy his riches, spend quality time with his wife and, raise a family.

Now though, after more than a decade in the pop wilderness, Astley has had a change of heart and decided to step back into the limelight, returning to the concert stage and recording a brand new album, Portrait' (Sony BMG) a collection of covers of some of the finest songs ever written.

Back on home turf' in the North West last Sunday on stage at the Lowry Theatre, Astley received an ecstatic welcome from a sell-out crowd who made it patently clear how much he has been missed by his many fans and in turn, the singer himself seemed genuinely touched by the audience's reaction.

With a stage set designed to replicate an inviting living room complete with a comfy sofa, a hearth and warm, subdued lighting, Astley ambled on in an overcoat and scarf with the cheery words, "Honey, I'm home". And from the very off what was immediately apparent was how at ease, assured and confident Rick Astley is nowadays. Back in his heyday, he cut a somewhat awkward figure in front of the camera, never appearing to be a natural performer but in 2005, that is certainly no longer the case. So much so that he surprised all by immediately launching into his own and, very unexpected version of the Pussycat Dolls hit Don't Cha' with the requisite hip-thrusting, revealing a fine sense of humour that prevailed throughout his performance. He even managed to work Beyonce's Crazy In Love' into his set at a later point and responded with much wit to the many shouts and requests from the crowd.

"Did anyone buy my first album?" Astley asked the audience early on and when the obvious "Yes" was screamed back to him he cheekily replied, "Thanks, you paid for my house then." The calls for his old hits came constantly but the singer predominantly showed how well suited he is to handling the much more sophisticated music that he tackles on his new record and proceeded to deliver stunning interpretations of Vincent', These Foolish Things', Nature Boy', Cry Me A River', Where Do I Begin' (Theme from Love Story') and Close To You' plus a host of other classic standards. But he did also roll back the years and give his long standing fans a selection of those early career hits of his they were yearning to hear again such as Hold Me in Your Arms', the excellent Cry for Help', She Wants To Dance With Me', Together Forever' and of course, that' song, Never Gonna Give You Up', which he started in funky acoustic style before reverting to its traditional bouncy arrangement with the famous, or should that be infamous perhaps, original dance routine that was so mimicked by all and sundry back in the day.

Astley closed the show with an effortless, pitch perfect rendition of Nat King Cole's When I Fall In Love' and duly received a lengthy standing ovation that his performance so richly deserved. On this showing, one can only hope that having decided to dip his toe' back in the pop waters' once more, he likes the feeling' enough to want to fully immerse himself again because it would be a great shame if such a real talent as Rick Astley was allowed to walk away from music for a second time and just slip back into obscurity. Something tells me however that the 2005 grown-up Rick Astley - still blessed though with his boyish looks, enjoyed himself far too much for this to happen.