The High Note Mento Collection

Mento was the first Jamaican popular music, a mix of calypso and local rhythms that won popularity across the island in the 1950s before being overtaken by ska in the early 1960s. Overtaken but never vanquished, mento's warmth and simplicity – often its performers employed acoustic guitar, banjo, maracas, a rhumba box (similar to a giant thumb piano) a bass made from a broom and wooden boxes for percussion – ensured it remained a village staple while possessing a charm that appealed both to visiting tourists and international audiences.

The three albums compiled here – by The Jolly Boys, The Prince Brothers and King Vupp (plus more than a dozen tracks from other mento artists) – all hail from the mid-1970s and were produced by Sonia Pottinger, a pioneering Jamaican record producer and label owner. The performances throughout are excellent, very well sung and played with strong vocal harmonies. That some of the tunes here could be passed off as ska or reggae demonstrates how mento had developed rather than remaining an archaic folk music. These recordings were overlooked at the time – roots reggae was at its height – so their reissue shines a light into a wonderfully warm Caribbean music.