Larry and The Mento Boys to re-release ‘Jamaica Farewell’ album in summer

One of the hottest productions in dancehall circles is the Hill And Gully ‘riddim’, produced by Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor.

It is driven by Slip & Slide, a risque song by Masicka.

The original Hill And Gully is a mento standard played by bands like Larry and The Mento Boys. Jamaica Farewell, that trio’s 2013 album, is scheduled for re-release this summer by Tad’s International Record.

Produced by Larry and The Mento Boys, it contains 18 songs, most of them mento staples. They include the patriotic Island in The Sun, Shame And Scandal, Big Bamboo and the title track.

There are also interpretations of Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry, Three Little Birds and One Drop. The band also covers Ma & Pa, made popular by Trinidadian singer Lord Creator.

Tad Dawkins, head of Tad’s International Record, told Observer Online that he was introduced to Larry and The Mento Boys by Bob Clarke, the broadcaster/singer who performed for many years in tourist hotels in St Ann and St Mary where he met Larry and The Mento Boys.

“The songs are great and there’s something about mento that reminds people of times past. There is still a market out there for it,” said Dawkins.

Mento is considered Jamaica’s first popular music by many musicologists. It gained prominence throughout the 1940s and 1950s through acts like Lord Flea, a charismatic singer who performed on major American shows like The Perry Como Show.

During the 1970s when roots-reggae was the rage, mento had a presence on Jamaican airwaves thanks to Stanley Beckford. He had hits with Soldering (which was covered by Hall and Oates), Broom Weed and Leave my Kiselo. Beckford also won the Festival Song Competition several times.

The Jolly Boys from Portland are the most successful mento act in recent years. Great Expectation, their 2010 album, was hailed in major publications like The New York Times and earned them tours of the United States and United Kingdom.