Listen Up: Lee Ann Womack, Leonard Cohen and alt-J

LEE ANN WOMACK

The Way I'm Livin' (**** out of four, country)

Womack's set, rooted in gospel and hymns, recalls Dolly Parton's finest. Her run-ins with the devil may seem uncomfortably specific, but the swelling steel guitars carry her as if on angels' wings. — Brian Mansfield

Download: Tomorrow Night in Baltimore, Chances Are, Nightwind

LEONARD COHEN

Popular Problems (***, singer/songwriter)

Just as Cohen's aging, gravelly voice grows more evocative, his lyrics grow ever-more compelling. Sex, death, God — he confronts them with wit, wisdom and confidence. — Jerry Shriver

Download: Slow, Did I Ever Love You, Born in Chains, You Got Me Singing

ALT-J

This Is All Yours (***, alt-pop)

Radio singles like Left Hand Free, with its swamp-soul guitar licks, don't tell the half of alt-J. Its chamber-pop experimentalism, with murmured vocals, is more welcoming than off-putting. — Brian Mansfield

Download: Left Hand Free, Every Other Freckle