Maybe check the style script for each column... File>Preferences>Display>Columns UI>Playlist view>Columns --> Column>Scripts (sub tab)>Style (sub tab).
If you enable "Use custom style script" here, you will override the "Globals" section.
Here is the code from my "NG Playlist":
(Notes: Essentially, you want to edit the last section "coloring playing" . [1] I am using alternating colored rows of grey and dark-grey . [2] My text is white EXCEPT if album artist tag exists . [3] Use a text editor like "Notepad2" if you want to edit the code... it colors the matching parenthesis)
// ===========================
// Style string help ("Tools" button).
// square brackets denotes an optional parameter.
// * $set_style(text,<text colour>,<selected text colour>)
// * $set_style(back,<background colour>,<selected background colour>[,<selected background colour no focus>]))
// ===========================
// --- color background, alternate rows
$ifequal($mod(%list_total%,2),0,
$ifequal($mod(%_playlist_number%,2),1,
$set_style(back,$rgb(46,48,63),$rgb(10,36,106)),
$set_style(back,$rgb(59,61,76),$rgb(10,36,106))),
$ifequal($mod(%_playlist_number%,2),0,
$set_style(back,$rgb(46,48,63),$rgb(10,36,106)),
$set_style(back,$rgb(59,61,76),$rgb(10,36,106)))
)
// --- if 'album artist' tag exists, make text yellow-white, else text is pure-white
$if($meta(album artist),
$set_style(text,$rgb(246,246,206),$rgb(246,246,206)),
$set_style(text,$rgb(255,255,255),$rgb(255,255,255))
)
// --- color playing
$if(%_isplaying%,
$set_style(back,$rgb(149,243,143),$rgb(149,243,143))
$set_style(text,$rgb(217,0,119),$rgb(217,0,119))
)