Listen Up notables: Lady Antebellum, more

Brian Mansfield, Elysa Gardner and Steve Jones, Paste BN | USATODAY

Lady Antebellum, Golden Country
* * * stars out of four

The trio resists the baroque country-pop of 2011's Own the Night, favoring lean guitar lines to support singers Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley's impassioned interplay. A bittersweet edge makes even the liveliest songs more poignant. -- Brian Mansfield

Download:Downtown, Better Off Now That You're Gone, Golden

Pistol Annies, Annie Up
Country
* * * 1/2

Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley deliver more portraits of tough, tender women, as vital as they are weary. The clichés are far less striking than the trio's gritty-sweet harmonies, taut musicianship and genuine pluck. -- Elysa Gardner

Download:Blues You're a Buzz Kill, Damn Thing

Talib Kweli, Prisoner of Conscious
Rap
* * *

Kweli always has been praised as a conscious rapper, but frustrated by being pigeonholed. With guests like Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes and others, he tries to show that a penchant for politics and popular music are not mutually exclusive. -- Steve Jones

Download:Rocket Ships, Push Thru, Come Here

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