Mento, Not Calypso! The Original Sound of Jamaica

Mento, Not Calypso! treats us to more than 50 mento favourites, most from the pre-reggae style’s heyday, from the late 30s to the early 60s. With many of the tracks sourced from old 78s, you would expect the sound quality to be poor but that is seldom the case; an outstanding example being the tracks from Count Owen & his Calypsonians. Both ‘Take Her to Jamaica’ and ‘Brown Skin Gal’ are brassy and riveting, the latter’s rich arrangement being dominated by a delicate guitar melody and a lovely baritone vocal from Count Owen.

Though often regarded as simply a variation of Trinidadian calypso, Jamaican mento is more correctly a form of Caribbean ‘shuffle blues’ (no relation to US blues) that led to its successor, ska, in the early 60s. Mento’s early exponents used limited instrumentation inventively. Banjo, acoustic guitar, congas, rumba box and homemade saxophone and clarinet would provide a distinctive opening before the lead vocal arrived, striking up again after the chorus. Standout tracks in this definitive selection include the infectious ‘Kitch', with its commanding vocal from Baba Motta and mambo-style piano; the Montego Beach Calypsonians’ fast version of the period classic ‘Back to Back, Belly to Belly’ with its urgent banjo interludes; and Count Lasher’s ‘Perseverance’, with infectious vocal and excellent, deep congas.