Great Expectation

While Jamaica is known for its reggae and ska, Mento is the original sound of the island and the forerunner of these two genres. With an amazing history spanning 60 years, The Jolly Boys' name is synonymous with the Mento sound. They quickly rose to local prominence in the 1950s as the house band for the Rat Pack's Jamaica chapter, chaired by the swashbuckling enfant terrible Errol Flynn. Singing songs of double entendre and ribaldry to those in search of escape and excess, the group served as Port Antonio's go-to band for 30 years. Great Expectation was produced by Baker, founder of Gee Street Records, the seminal UK hip-hop label that first brought the likes of the Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, PM Dawn and the RZA to the attention of the British public. Now based in Jamaica, Baker recorded the album at his Geejam Studios in Port Antonio. Instead of relying on Mento classics of times gone by, the sessions called upon classic and contemporary rock/pop repertory, interpreting songs that resonate with Mento's raucous history. The tracks draw from a full spectrum of artists like The Clash, The Stooges, The Stranglers, Johnny Cash, New Order and Amy Winehouse. Great Expectation delivers maximum island magic, just in time for the summer music season.