Pop 'n' Mento

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Pop 'n' Mento
Studio album by
The Jolly Boys
Released11 September 1989
Recorded1989, Jamaica
Genre
Length47:08
Label
ProducerJules Shear
The Jolly Boys chronology
At Club Caribbean
(1986) 		Pop 'n' Mento
(1989) 		Sunshine 'n' Water
(1991)

Pop 'n' Mento is the third album by Jamaican mento band the Jolly Boys, released in September 1989 by American label First Warning and British label Cooking Vinyl. The album was produced by American singer-songwriter Jules Shear, who discovered the Jolly Boys performing in a Port Antonio hotel. He digitally recorded the group in one take, using a minimal set-up to accommodate the group's acoustic instruementation. The record features a set of mento standards, and mixed elements from the genre's past with contemporary sounds.

The promotion for Pop 'n' Mento focused on the mento genre and

college radio in the United States, leading to a reissue in July 1990 via Rykodisc. The record received critical acclaim, including from critics who recognised mento as a forebear to reggae
, and greatly increased the band's international profile.

Background and recording

Formed in

calypso
band, due to their dance troupe attire,
electric instrumentation and the arrival of ska and reggae,[4] two genres derived from mento.[5][6]

American singer-songwriter and producer Jules Shear, known for writing hits for Cyndi Lauper, Alison Moyet and the Bangles,[4] holidayed at the Trident Hotel on the coast of Port Antonio in 1989, where he discovered the group performing.[1][7] Inspired by their dynamic performance, he offered to produce a studio album by the group.[1] According to writer Steve MacDonald, the decision to record Pop 'n' Mento "appears to have been [on] a whim".[3] The album is a digital recording of the group,[3] captured in one take in a hotel room.[2][8] McDonald speculates that Shear "[seems] to have simply miked everyone and let the tape roll."[3] The Daily Advertiser wrote that Shear recorded the band's record for fans of world music.[7] Though Pop 'n' Mento has been described as the Jolly Boys' first album,[2][3] the group had recorded Jamaica: The Roots of Reggae in the 1970s[9] and 1986's At Club Caribbean.[10] The album was mastered at Barry Diament Audio.[11]

Composition

marimbula
or rhumba box

Using only rustic,

sea chanties, creating a style of mento that mixes elements from the genre's past with contemporary sounds, thus breaking with the mento tradition on the Jamaican north coast.[1] "Pop 'n' mento" is the group's description of their style.[13][14]

The album covers a selection of Jamaican mento standards, including songs known internationally like "Shaving Cream", "Back to Back (Belly to Belly)" and "Big Bamboo".[3] According to writer Nick Griffiths, the group's version of mento on the album is "not only a play on calypso or reggae, but a play on words (with titles like 'Touch Me Tomato' and 'Big Bamboo') and a light-hearted, what-the-hell look at life", noting the humorous lyrics and overall simplicity. He added that the resonant bongos and "coolly plucked banjo" cushion Swymmer's "laidback, reggae-tinged vocals", with the acoustic guitar and rhumba box being used for enhancement.[6] According to McDonald, the rhumba box provides a strong bass end.[3] Roger Catlin of Albuquerque Journal highlighted the "light music with saucy lyrics".[2]

Release and aftermath

Released on 11 September 1989, Pop 'n' Mento was one of two album releases that launched the

college radio, who enjoyed the "acoustic island novelty" of their music, which led to Rykodisc picking up First Warning for wider distribution.[2] The Rykodisc-First Warning reissue took place on 13 July 1990.[19] In the United Kingdom, the album was released through Cooking Vinyl.[20] The record also made reached the CJSW-FM Top 10 in Canada.[21]

Pop 'n' Mento became one in a trilogy of '

live' albums by the group produced between 1989 and 1991, alongside Sunshine 'n' Water and Beer Joint in Tailoring (both 1991). According to George Plasketes, "the traditional trilogy never reached revival or Graceland proportions, but like many other world music missionary explorations, the series of recordings provided important [small scale] exposure and documentation within the global and American music marketplaces." He compared Shear's projects with the group to Keith Richards' work with fellow Jamaican folk band Wingless Angels.[4] Neely deemed Pop 'n' Mento and its follow-ups to reframe the Jolly Boys' musical identity. Adding that they were released "as the world music phenomenon was cresting", he considered the marketing emphasis on the term 'mento' to be "an indigenizing move, one that authenticated the encounter between consumers and Jamaican music's 'real' roots and influenced the way people from abroad got to know them", and felt that the Jolly Boys benefitted from becoming known as a mento (rather than calyso) group as it helped their relationship with the Jamaican Tourist Board, who helped facilitate their international publicity trips, and gave them wider international exposure than other mento bands.[1] Plasketes said: "Through these four elder musicians, Shear uncovered 'mento'".[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The News and Observer
[22]
Select[6]
The Village VoiceB+[23]

Pop 'n' Mento received wide acclaim from

rastaman vibration." He also prasied the "nice, light touch" of Shear's production.[22] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice said, despite how it was advertised, mento is not "roots' roots" but rather "secondhand calypso that's been tourist music since Harry Belafonte was a folkie", but added that the style is "good dirty fun", writing that Shear could not resist Swymmer's nonchalant singing or Deans' languid banjo, and "did the world a turn by getting them down."[23]

Paul Willistein of The Morning Call reviewed the album alongside the Jonathan Demme-compiled Konbit: Burning Rhythms of Haiti, describing them as "interesting world-beat offerings from two unlikely musical anthropologists". He noted the album's relaxed mento style, using Harry Belfatone's "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" as a point of reference, and added: "It's kind of touristy, 'Yellow Bird' beach cabana music, but sprightly so." He added that in representing "simple island pleasures", the album showcased "the real Kokomo".[8] Nick Griffiths of Select considered the album's main strength to be its simplicity, writing that the album is never over-produced or cluttered. However, he did feel the basic arrangements lead to "a diminishing interest threshold," and added that the Jollies' "penchant for fruit and veg references" gets excessive.[6]

In a retrospective review, Steven McDonald of AllMusic named Pop 'n' Mento an "Album Pick", singling out the uniqueness of the Jolly Boys in the marketplace and comparing Shear's recording of the album to the album to Alan Lomax's documenting of 1930s and 40s blues artists. He praised the recording techniques and Swymmer's joyful singing, concluding: "Pop 'n' Mento is almost a time and space device...it really does take you to another place and another time."[3] The authors of The Rough Guide to Jamaica (2003) highly recommend the album and its follow-up Sunshine 'n' Water, writing: "Sunny and lewd, this is classic good time mento from a band who have been playing it for decades."[20]

Track listing

All songs traditional and arranged by The Jolly Boys.

  1. "Mother & Wife" – 4:28
  2. "Love in the Cemetery" – 3:40
  3. "River Come Down" – 2:58
  4. "Ten Dollars to Two" – 3:23
  5. "Banana" – 3:13
  6. "Big Bamboo" – 4:39
  7. "Ben Wood Dick"– 4:32
  8. "Touch Me Tomato" – 4:01
  9. "Shaving Cream" – 3:53
  10. "Watermelon" – 3:35
  11. "Back to Back (Belly to Belly)" – 4:35
  12. "Nightfall" – 4:09

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes of Pop 'n' Mento[12]

  • Allan Swymmer – lead vocals, bongos
  • Moses Deans – banjo, backing vocals, lead vocals (5)
  • Noel Howard – guitar, backing vocals
  • Joseph Bennett – marimbula, backing vocals
  • Jules Shear – producer

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9780199988853
    . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Catlin, Roger (14 July 1991). "Jolly Boys Shun Sound Systems". Albuquerque Journal: G3. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McDonald, Steven. "Pop 'n' Mento Review by Steven McDonald". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  4. ^
    ISBN 9781317171133
    . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Sawyers, June (26 July 1991). "After Hours". Chicago Tribune: 82. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e Griffiths, Nick (August 1990). "Reviews: The New Discs". Select: 97. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b Associated Press, The (27 August 2011). "Jamaica's Jolly Boys a Hit on World Stages". The Daily Advertiser: 6C. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Willistein, Paul (27 January 1990). "Records". The Morning Call: A68. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  9. ^ Roberts, John Storm. "Jamaica: The Roots of Reggae by The Jolly Boys Review by John Storm Roberts". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  10. ^ "The Jolly Boys - At Club Caribbean". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Audio Track" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 36. 9 September 1989. p. 74. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Pop 'n' Mento (liner). The Jolly Boys. First Warning. 1989.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "In and Around Lompoc". The Lompoc Record: T2. 19 July 1991. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Musical Line-Up". The Daily Advertiser: 4. 17 April 1991. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  15. ^ a b DiMartino, Dave (16 September 1989). "BMG-Funded First Warning Readies First Releases" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 37. pp. 9, 92. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Pop 'N' Mento advertisement". Spin. 5 (9): 111. December 1989. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  17. ISBN 9780863693786
    . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Music Marathon Glimpses Continued" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report: 68. 1 December 1989. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Upcoming Releases" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report: 78. 6 July 1990. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  20. ^
    ISBN 9781843531111
    . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  21. ^ "Top Ten". Calgary Herald: 48. 21 January 1990. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Wild, David (28 September 1990). "Short Spins". The News and Observer: 7. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  23. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (31 October 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
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