Trojan Presents: Mento & R&B – 40 Roots Of Reggae Classics

Before the advent of ska in the early Sixties, Jamaican music was dominated by two other indigenous music styles: mento and Jamaican blues or blues beat.

The calypso-flavoured sound of mento prevailed on the local music scene during the years immediately following WWII and remained the most popular home-grown style until the development of Jamaican R&B or blues beat in the late Fifties. This new sound was at first indiscernible from old-style American R&B, but soon developed a sound of its own that ultimately led to Ska.

Until now, despite their importance in the development of modern Jamaican music, both mento and Jamaican R&B have been largely overlooked, but this, the first in a new 2CD series highlighting the various genres to have dominated the islands music over the past 50 years, finally redresses the balance by presenting 40 of the most popular tracks in the respective styles.

Performed by some of the most celebrated performers from the era, this is undoubtedly the most comprehensive collection of early Jamaican sounds and will not only appeal to fans of its immediate descendent, ska, but also devotees of vintage American R&B.