Biography

Bio: MeZZo (Singer-songwriter)

MeZZo (Birthplace: 24 May 1962, Breidbach, King William’s Town, South Africa):

MeZZo is the stage name of Malvory Adams, a charismatic singer-songwriter from South Africa who embodies the phrase “Age is Just A Number”. After a rich career of activism and journalism, the fifty-one year old father of four decided to pursue a career in music and released his debut full length album, “Ain't No Messing Around”, in February.

The album starts with the title track, a groovy funk-soul track which segues into “Hope Has Gone”. I was eager to hear MeZZo's voice and style and was certainly not disappointed. His voice brims with passion and his masterful falsetto over the chilled backing melodies makes for a striking introduction.

One thing that often limits an artist is their insistence of marrying to a single genre and playing it to death. In contrast, versatility is MeZZo's strong point. He works elements of Urban, R&B and soul music but beyond that he brings in charicteristics of pop, ballad and fuses features from traditional African music to create something fresh and chilled, yet also upbeat and uplifting.

My particular favourite track on the album, “Drifting Apart” features some stunning female backing vocals and is the most impressive vocal performance from MeZZo himself. It crams in all those pop ballad features and has all the properties of a timeless classic; I found myself humming it several hours later without ever growing tired of it.

His vocals and lyrics display the same diversity. From the low and heartfelt “You Have A Beef With Me” to the blistering belts on “Drifting Apart”, MeZZo proves clearly that it's never to late to do what you were born to do. His lyrics too come across as poignant and genuine, fed from real experience and tackling themes of lacking, loss, peace, perseverance, rejection and romance. It's the raw humanity in every one of “Ain't No Messing Around”'s 11 tracks that make MeZZo so interesting to pay attention to.

For me, the most impressive example of MeZZo's lyrical ability is “Blame it on Yourself”, what appears by the title to be a self critical and damning song is actually one of the most encouraging tracks I’ve ever heard. His wisdom is simply flawless – by this point in the album it's clear that I'm not listening to just a songwriter, I'm listening to a writer who teaches by song, and that distinction is one not made often enough. MeZZo recognises that he has a few verses per track to leave a point ringing in his listeners ears and every view is placed with equal measures of compassion and reassurance.

Track 9, “Ungo Wam” which translates as “You're Mine” is a great hidden gem on the album and its remix, a bonus treat, is a wonderful way to conclude such a sonically pleasing experience. I adore the fusion and celebration of vibrant South African culture heard here. They don't call it the Rainbow Nation for no reason, and MeZZo is as colourful as it gets!

MeZZo's debut album is a strong milestone for him. He set out to prove that age is just a number and ended up proving that it's even less relevant than that. There's a lot of value in listening to MeZZo's work, especially if you're a musician too; the whole album is a crash course in writing meaningful work and being unafraid to say what is on your mind, without worrying whether people will agree or not. MeZZo's musical journey is just beginning it's next phase and it's already such an intriguing journey to go along with.