Playlist: The Jolly Boys, Roy Orbison, The Kinks

By Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY

The Jolly Jamaican gents are releasing Great Expectation. Orbison's Beautiful Dreamer and The Kinks' You Shouldn't Be Sad are among intriguing tracks.

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  Derrick "Johnny" Henry, left, lead singer Albert Minott and Joseph "Powder" Bennett have a unique Jamaican sound.

Derrick "Johnny" Henry, left, lead singer Albert Minott and Joseph "Powder" Bennett have a unique Jamaican sound.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Do It Again,the Jolly Boys

For more than 50 years, these Jamaican gents have popularized the mento musical style, an older, largely acoustic, countrified and sometimes rowdier cousin to reggae and ska. Now led by singer Albert Minott, they're releasing Tuesday the U.S. version of Great Expectation, an album primarily of pop/rock covers (including Rehab, You Can't Always Get What You Want and Riders on the Storm), of which this Steely Dan remake is the funky highlight.

THE PLAYLIST

USA TODAY music critic Jerry Shriver highlights 10 intriguing tracks found during the week's listening.

50/50 Chance, Preservation Hall Band and the Del McCoury Band
"Hillbilly jazz" is too crude a description of this melding of bluegrass and Dixieland. How about just "down-home magic"?

Beautiful Dreamer, Roy Orbison
Time stops when he wraps his jewel-box voice around this standard, a bonus track from The Monument Singles Collection 1960-1964.

I Know Prayer Changes Things, Irma Thomas
A majestic cover of a gospel gem sung by Mahalia Jackson, whose centennial will be celebrated by Thomas on Friday at New Orleans' Jazz Fest.

Dead Man, Loudon Wainwright III
The revered folkie gets unflinchingly morbid on this new tune recorded for the 40 Odd Years box set, out Tuesday.

I Feel You, Sam Roberts Band
Radio listeners up north already are boosting the profile of this single from the Canadian indie-rockers' Collider album, out next week.

Hell Hound on My Trail, Robert Johnson
Our greatest blues lyricist would have turned 100 on Sunday if the hounds hadn't caught up with him at age 27.

Have Thine Own Way, Blind Boys of Alabama
Jamey Johnson sings with the vets on this track from the country-gospel album Take the High Road, out Tuesday.

Laura, John Coltrane and Cal Massey
This rehearsal take by Trane's Africa/Brass band is one of several unreleased gems on the new box set.

You Shouldn't Be Sad, The Kinks
Ray Davies and company presaged The Ramones by 20 years on this previously unreleased track from newly reissued Kinda Kinks.

Private Caller, Sondre Lerche
What a cheeky boast from the Norwegian songbird: "You didn't need a private caller ? till I was on the other end."

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