Mul-Ty is a new name to me, but since he's on a major label with his debut album Made 4 Love there's of course a website about him and from mul-ty.com you can learn that he was born in Vidalia, Georgia and that his real name is Tyrone Coleman. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter says his style is a direct result of his vast musical experiences. "This is just something that naturally happened because that is what I was raised on," he says. "That's what I came up hearing, the greats like Marvin, Otis Redding." Mul-Ty says he knew "from day one" that he wanted to sing for a living. "I was performing and singing in my first choir before my feet could reach the pedals," he recalls. "I've been singing in talent shows since I was a kid, so I knew that was what I was going to do."...so much for what the label tells us about him. But what has he to offer musicwise?
The good thing is that Mul-Ty wrote all the songs together with his producer Gerald 'Geo' Hall and the album concentrates on ballads and midtempo somgs. With only 11 songs on offer (and one of them being a remix of the title song) this is, like the Paula Lima album, another one that's quite short with only 41 minutes. But what's more important is the quality of the songs rather than the playing time of the album and of course of the singer's voice. And it's quite amazing what Mul-Ty has to offer in the vocal department for someone who's just 22 years old. He has a rich, deep voice full of warmth that fits perfect to songs like Looking For Love or The Perfect Love Song.
The highlight for me is the title song Made 4 Love with it's neo soul influences and it's slight musical reminiscence of Alicia Key's A Woman's Worth. There's also a Juke Joint Mix of Made 4 Love but it really doesn't sound dissimilar to the original version, so I'm not so sure why it is included here.
Love Is Enough is another listening pleasure with it's southern influences (remember Calvin Richardson?) and guitar work by Rick Watford.
What could easily have become a cliché ridden song (Spanish Guitar) still sounds credibly with Mul-Ty's fine voice and guitar play by Rick Watford (again). Add to this the midtempo songs Fallin' In Love and What Would It Take and you get a good and solid album by a major label.