(On Color It Red)
Color It Red has finally released its long-awaited album, simply entitled Silver, nine years after the last one. The title is in reference to the 25th anniversary of this Philippine Alternative Rock band that originally formed in 1989. The songs in the album retains the passionately smooth voice of vocalist Cooky Chua and the semi-acoustic, mildly fuzzy leanings of the band’s early music but also incorporates their jazzy, soul, and reggae predilections. Songs in this new album include “Umuwi Ka Na,” “Where Does the Love Go?”, and “Di Magtatagal.”
The rest of Color It Red’s discography are Hand-Painted Sky (1994), Fool’s Circle (1997), Pop Fiction (2001), and Color It Red (2005). Recommended songs from these previous albums include “Na Naman,” “Dancing and Singing,” “Pagguhit ng Bilog,” “Una’t Huli,” “From the Other Side of the Sea,” and of course the anthem “Paglisan,” for which the band became commercially popular.
Color It Red is currently comprised by original members Cooky Chua (vocals) and Barbi Cristi Paraguya (acoustic guitar) and fellow seasoned musicians Bopip Paraguya (bass; formerly of Discant X at Hydrophonics), Edwin “Kwachi” Vergara (rhythm guitar), Ariel Policarpio (lead guitar; formerly of Ethnic Faces), and Jayvee Torres (drums; also of Ethnic Faces).
Final Note
I with my former band Half Life Half Death had the privilege to perform with Color It Red, Ethnic Faces, and Discant X as early as the mid-’90s in various venues that included Club Dredd and Mayric’s and with Color It Red once again in 2012 at Tiendesitas Shopping Complex in Pasig, the first time I visited the Philippines.
