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| Contactmusic |
 The Jolly Boys have an incredibly long and endurable history as musicians, having spent the past 60 years performing, they are one of the original sounds of Jamaican 'mento'. Undoubtedly The Jolly Boys are the most recognizable mento band in the world. Mento is certainly a unique and colourful sound that was the forerunner to reggae and ska but even though it may sound older and more accessible it still has that edge that always comes from good Jamaican music. The Jolly Boys have been royally accepted throughout their career but recently Geejam Jon Baker and Wall Of Sound's Mark Jones have collaborated with these masters to create 'Great Expectation'. 'Great Expectation' represents twelve interpretations of contemporary songs given a mento makeover. The choice of tunes is what makes this album really good, at first listen it may not seem so obviously great, as most of the tunes are easily recognisable, but it's the way in which The Jolly Boys put their well performed style on it that makes it such an enjoyable listen. Tracks like New Orders 'Blue Monday' in the Jolly Boys way is a must listen as well as other tracks such as 'Passenger' by The Stooges, 'Rehab' by Amy Winehouse, 'I Fought The Law' by The Clash and 'Golden Brown' by The Stranglers all contribute to a very cleverly created album that certainly has its own edge and illustrates what great songs they are in their own right. Albert Minott's deep and venomous vocal is perfect for the attitude of this collection of songs and listening to the music it's clear how talented and passionate these guys are....full text |
| Bbc |
| Mento, overshadowed by its more danceable Trinidadian neighbour calypso, has yet to enjoy the wider recognition of ska, rocksteady and reggae. This album of lyrically gloomy rock standards by Jamaica’s longest running mento group The Jolly Boys doesn't showcase the style in its purest form, but should help put it on the mainstream musical map. Mento was the first-recorded Jamaican music, and a means of spreading news and bawdy tales (often featuring long-suffering male protagonists). Port Antonio’s Jolly Boys began in the 1950s playing to celebrity visitors such as JP Morgan and Errol Flynn, and have continued off and on ever since. Produced by Jon Baker and Dale Virgo at Geejam studios in Portland (where the Boys are house band) the album marries mento arrangements (banjo, acoustic guitar and rhumba box) with digital beats to interpret songs from the rock canon. Years of playing for tourists mean this material isn’t as much of a stretch as one might assume. The darker side of mento lyrics is reflected in stories of excess and urban woe from Lou Reed (Perfect Day), The Stranglers (Golden Brown) and Amy Winehouse (given a minor key makeover for Rehab). Yet, transplanted, they lack the humour-in-the-face-of-hardship associated with the style....full text |
| Flyglobalmusic |
| Well if anyone would be surprised by the acclaim the Jolly Boys would be the most surprised of them all. In a recent interview on BBC World Service one of them proclaimed that “It’s as good as drinking a glass of Baileys” And that’s probably a pint size glass as their new album, Great Expectation gets released on Wall Of Sound Records on Monday (20th September 2010). Great Expectations is a collection of 12 modern classic pop/rock songs given a mento makeover. Mento? Yep. It’s the sound of JA before reggae, ska, blue beat, roots, dancehall and anything else. Back in the 1950’s, The Jolly Boys were the house band for the Rat Pack’s Jamaican chapter, headed by Hollywood’s bad boy of the long foil, Errol Flynn no less! With songs that focused on the art of the double entendre and ribaldry, the group served as Port Antonio’s go-to band for thirty years. Fast forward another 30 years, they are the sound of mento after recording Sunshine ‘N’ Water last year, they’ve now done five UK shows in August (including the Saturday at Big Chill, review HERE although I unfortunately missed them) and with the new album coming out soon, they are the JA’s answer to the Buena Vista Social Club; even making an appearance on the Adrian ‘Jolly’ Chiles/Christine Bleakley show last week. And sticking with the TV theme, as Wayne Smith’s ‘Under Me Sensi’ gets repeated plays as the theme to the This Is England 86, The Jolly Boys are from an even earlier time that are like a calypso version of The Wurzels and Chris Barber’s Jazz Band. The thing with Great Expectation, doing a dozen cover versions of popular hits by artists like The Clash, The Stooges, The Stranglers and New Order, do they cross the line into ‘novelty’ act? Well, if you ignore Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are cool. They squeeze the line about drinking Baileys into Lou Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’ and from that era there’s Iggy’s ‘Passenger’, Grace Jones’ ‘Nightclubbin’ and Blondie’s ‘Hangin On The Telephone’. And it’s all very jolly, light hearted and inevitable puts a smile on your face, what more can you want from an album?...full text |
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