Search - Gilzene & Blue Light Mento :: Sweet Sweet Jamaica

Formed in the rural backwater of Trelawney in 1986, the Blue Light Mento Band is one of the best-kept secrets of Jamaican popular music. Prime exponents of mento, a distinctly Jamaican form of traditional folk music, the group has long been acclaimed on the island for its mastery of the genre. On this debut recording, the group makes it clear why mento is so beloved by devotees. Their sound is unadulterated by urban influences, retaining the country feel that has always defined mento's original form. The album holds just the right amount of rawness, yielding an honesty that is lacking in most of the island's contemporary musical product. In the best mento tradition, the fifteen songs cover a range of topics, featuring folk favorites, suggestive ditties and songs examining the finer points of human relationships. The band's adaptation of Toots and the Maytals' ' Sweet and Dandy' recasts the reggae hit as a mento country stomp, with none other than Toots himself contributing the vibrant harmonica solos. The album was recorded at the legendary Harry J studio by renowned engineers Stephen Stewart and Sam Clayton Junior.