G Cole salutes Jamaica and reggae on third album

Singer G Cole launched Black Green And Reggae, his third album, on September 19 at the office of VP Records in Miramar, South Florida. It is released digitally and on vinyl. The Ocho Rios native performed songs from the set in a brief performance as well as signed copies for admirers during the meet-and-greet session. He told Observer Online that Black Green And Reggae is a salute to his homeland and the music it created over 50 years ago. “The black on our flag signifies hardships faced and to be overcome. The green signifies the rich, green land and topography, the gold is the natural wealth and beauty of the sunshine,” said G Cole. “But sometimes the days are cloudy, sometimes the days are rainy. Regardless of what the day is, there’s always reggae music playing. It’s the only constant.” Prior to the album hitting the market, two of its songs — Your Love and Feeling The Love (with Ed Robinson) — were released. Being a music collector and broadcaster, G Cole said it is only natural he released his latest project on vinyl. That format has made a remarkable comeback in the digital age, especially in Europe and Japan. “I have followed the resurgence of vinyl and I’ve strongly advocated for it, but the truth is, most genres never stopped making the vinyls, it was the reggae section that was getting smaller,” he noted. “It is expensive, especially since reggae artistes aren’t given the budget of most other genres, but I’m hoping I can inspire some artistes to do vinyl.” The 12-song album also contains the title track; Real Friends, a collaboration with Kumar Fyah; Blue Skies; and Cool & Easy (with Hezron). Black Green And Reggae is G Cole’s first album since Ocho Rios, which was released in 2013.