Source: jamaica-gleaner.com
Audio engineer and producer, Colin ‘Bulby’ York, has recorded, mixed, and produced thousands of songs since 1989 and he has worked with top-tier clients including Shabba Ranks ( Xtra-Naked, As Raw As Ever, Caan Dun); Super Cat ( Don Dadda, The Struggle Continues, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly); Beres Hammond ( Can’t Stop A Man, A Moment In Time, Music Is Life, Love Has No Boundaries, In Control, Love From A Distance, Sweetness, One Love, One Life, Never Ending); Sean Paul ( Dutty Rock); Rihanna ( No, No, No); Sinead O’Conner ( Throw Down Your Arms); Madonna ( Give It To Me); and Britney Spears ( Piece Of Me).
Today, February 24, which just happens to be his birthday, Bulby will release his fourth studio album, Time & Color, a project that he has been working on since 2020. He quickly explained the inspiration behind the artful title, with the American spelling of color, minus the letter ‘u’.
“ Time & Color are lasting emotions. Time is known for its sequence in events of the past, present, or future. Colors represent emotions that we feel. For centuries music has no beginning or end. It is eternal. Take a minute to reflect on what music has done for our culture, for the world,” Bulby said.
Since it’s a Bulby York production, a string of A-list artists seems inevitable. Traversing the notes and spaces of Time & Color are Beres Hammond, Bounty Killer, UB 40, Spragga Benz, Admiral Bailey, Tanya Stephens, Stacy Miranda, Luciano, Christopher Martin, El Maleante, Maxi Priest, Richie Spice, Jah VInci, Wasp and Malica.
Quizzed about the process which led to these particular artists being time and light-bearers, Bulby shared, “The artists chosen for this album are a reflection of spirituality, love, and consciousness. This is an eclectic group of talents that has brought Time & Color to life.”
Time & Color opens with Stacy Mirander singing Hear O Lord (the sound of my call), a hymn that was written by American social justice advocate and at-the-time Roman Catholic seminarian, Ray Repp (1942-2020), based on Psalm 51. Song number three is an interesting remix of Bill Withers’ Lean on Me, performed by UB 40 and Bounty Killer, while Beres Hammond is smooth as silk on track number six, Spotlight.
“Did I mention …The Chairman bless me with another classic‼️” Bulby wrote on social media in reference to Spotlight.
Spragga Benz jumps in on track number 12 with Race to Waste Your Life, a song that posits many hard-hitting questions and concludes that “ Have to change yuh mentality where killing yuh own black brother is the code/Have to move up from survival up to prosperity mode/Cause it’s a waste to waste yuh life when oonu yuh go pick up badness, it’s a waste to waste yuh life without a cause…”
Bubly has noble hopes for his latest offering.
“My expectations for Time & Color are to heal and bring joy to people who are having a difficult time … especially people who are hurting in silence with depression, hunger, and anxiety. The songs on this album speak volumes of everyday struggles in life. People need to heal and be joyful again. The artists are passionate about expressing themselves in their music and the one thing I noticed that they all have in common is this: They want to push love into the world.”