The Jolly Boys

Great Expectation , Wall of Sound ***

Great Expectation, Wall of Sound ***

Mentowas the original sound of Jamaica, a rural folk gumbo put on wax by acts such as Monty Reynolds the Silver Seas Orchestra, Lord Fly and Harold Richardson the Ticklers in Kingston studios in the early 1950s. The Jolly Boys were also in on the action and, while they have been putting on the ritz in various island hotels since, they're set to have an unlikely revival thanks to this album of swinging mento-flavoured covers. While there's an undeniably incongruous side to these 70-something gents, led by former fire-eater Albert Minott, covering Amy Winehouse's Rehab, Iggy Pop's Passengerand New Order's Blue Monday, the recordings show plenty of verve and spirit, ensuring that this is not some novelty island souvenir. On the contrary, The Jolly Boys approach these modern-day anthems with all guns blazing.

See jollyboysmusic.com

Download tracks: Rehab, You Can't Always Get What You Want