Hundred-word Reviews for March 2026: New Releases #2

For this edition of my closet-clearing capsule reviews, I present quick takes on five recently released titles. There’s blues, powerpop, progressive rock and whatever it is that L. Shankar does (and does quite well).

Sean McDonald – Have Mercy!
It’s quite an achievement to craft an album that’s true and faithful to early rock ‘n’ roll/r&b without coming off as affected. Slavish imitation reeks of artifice, even when it’s well-intentioned. Happily, Sean McDonald is the realest of real deals. The fact that Augusta, Georgia native McDonald is a mere 24 years of age makes Have Mercy! even more of a landmark work that it would otherwise be. Rock ‘n’ roll owes a major debt to gospel and the blues, and McDonald’s album makes those connections plain in celebratory fashion. Kid Andersen’s expert production places McDonald in the perfect setting.

Jack Rubies – Visions in the Bowling Alley
Yeah, the band name is unfortunate, suggesting a poke-in-yer-eye punk outfit. And while the Jack Rubies do adopt an edgy rock posture, they do it with authenticity. Their melodic postpunk sonic approach is reminiscent (to me, anyway) of Captain Sensible’s solo work. There’s a wonderful sense of drama, some welcome space between the sonic elements and taut, top-notch, no-filigree musicianship on display. The opening “Greedy” establishes the tone, and the Jack Rubies sustain that quality across 12 tracks. If the Stranglers had a bit more pop sensibility and less of a Doors fixation, they might’ve sounded like the Jack Rubies.

Tinsley Ellis – Labor of Love
I first discovered guitarist Tinsley Ellis waaaay back in the early ‘80s when his then-band the Heartfixers were one of Atlanta’s hottest live acts. Ellis was the spark that lit the white-hot band’s flame. By late in the decade he had ventured out on his own. Now it’s 40 years later, and he has more than 20 albums to his credit. Labor of Love. The title is apt: while Ellis is renowned for his electric guitar work, this album is wholly acoustic, with minimal accompaniment. The warm and intimate production brilliantly showcases his instrumental skills and heartfelt, just-right vocal prowess.

L. Shankar – Answers
L. Shankar is often pegged as a world music artist; there are serious problems with that label, but it remains useful on some level as a shorthand entree into what the music might sound like. But in his case – at least on Answers – it’s some serious misdirection. While Shankar is known best as a violinist, the music on his latest is a kind of sleek- tuneful, prog-flavored mainstream pop. Aided by a top-flight coterie of musicians including Tony Levin and Dave Palmer, Shankar presents nine songs that are tuneful and friendly, with adventurism deftly applied to his catchy, memorable tunes.

Anton Roolaart – The Ballad of General Jupiter
From the atmospheric and cinematic soundscape that introduces “Amsterdam,” it’s clear that The Ballad of General Jupiter is a prog epic. Dutch multi-instrumentalist Roolaart is clearly a well-versed aficionado of the classic prog and rock canon, and his original music luxuriates those textures. With a voice that may remind listeners of a less-mannered David Bowie, Roolaart crafts a finely-tuned musical tapestry. While there’s a prog character to the album’s eight cuts (with lyrics about time travel, environmental peril and such), the music’s progressive more in attitude than in style. And that’s great; it all works beautifully. And dig those Vocoders!