CATT Change (Listenrecords) — A musical polymath raised in Northern Germany and currently based in Berlin, Catt might be uniquely calibrated to accept change. At least that’s how she comes across on the new album Change. Change can be rough, wearying, discombobulating. Sure, all that’s true. But it can be rejuvenating, too. At least that’s what she asserts on the warm, enveloping title cut: “The heaviness has shifted/ The curtain has lifted/ At least for while.” That’s the general vibe Catt delivers over a fine set of tunes that are a generous pour of the tried and true techniques of slicked-up indie pop that’s been given a tart twist of unpredictability. “Honesty Lies” exists somewhere in a space between Kacey Musgraves and a Bond theme from a universe where 007 is a licensed therapist. Catt shows she can deftly pivot between the Metric-y insistence of “No One Ever Tells You” and the achingly spare piano ballad “Spell Me Free,” making both as comfortable as a fuzzy cloak. She’ll change again, to be sure, but these grooves will stand tall forever. In addition to the cuts already mentioned, try out “Seven Wishes,” “Wild Hearts,” and “Slow Motion Harmony.”

RODNEY CROWELL The Chicago Sessions (New West) — Realistically, Rodney Crowell doesn’t need his reputation bolstered. A fixture in the country music scene going back to the nineteen-seventies, Crowell has Grammys, a reasonable tally of singles that topped the country charts, and a spot in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Still, the subset of music fans grown in the soil of y’allternative hipster cred might not appreciate him as much as they should. Enter Jeff Tweedy. The Wilco frontman produces Crowell’s new collection, which was recorded at the Chicago studio that’s been his band’s home base since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The resulting album, aptly titled The Chicago Sessions, is a distant cousin of Rick Rubin’s stripped down efforts with late-career Johnny Cash, except Tweedy isn’t employing reinvention or gimmicky covers to grab attention, opting instead to let Crowell be a marvelously relaxed version of himself. Crowell rummages through his songbook and finds a whole slew of cozy country songs, whether juiced with honkytonk punch (“Somebody Loves You”) or sweetly forlorn (the very seventies soft-rock tinge on “You’re Supposed to Be Feeling Good,” which Crowell originally handed off to Emmylou Harris for her 1976 album, Luxury Liner). When Crowell covers Townes Van Zandt, on the poignant “No Place to Fall,” or collaborates with Tweedy, on the studio-jam-turned-sly-winner “Everything at Once,” he’s asserting his place among celebrated songsmith peers. Want more? Enjoy the big shoulders of “Lucky,” “Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly,” “Oh Miss Claudia,” and “Ever the Dark.”

ALEX LAHEY The Answer Is Always Yes (Liberation) — Although Alex Lahey is no newcomer, with two prior studio LPs preceding this new release, it’s still a challenge to avoid making a comparison to an Australian singer-songwriter with a wry sense of humor, a talent for chunky guitar riffs, and vocals that land in a sweet spot between singing and speaking. Album opener “Good Time” unmistakably sounds like it was crafted by someone who knows the appeal of sometimes just sitting, right down to the loping, clever lyrics: “Still stuck in traffic at the end of the day/ They smell the roses, but I just wanna leave/ Same song on loop, but I don’t feel a thing/ The new game plan is desensitizing.” Lahey has so much more to offer than sating those who are hungry for more top-tier Courtney Barnett. The Answer Is Always Yes is full of tart, tight songs jump out with jolting buoyancy. She demonstrates a mastery of all manner of indie rock, whether bettering an old Strokes trick with the racing rhythm of “You’ll Never Get Your Money” or mirroring Wet Leg’s verve on “They Wouldn’t Let Me In.” Those comparisons don’t mean Lahey disappears. Her personality comes through on the splendidly sour “Permanent” and all the other cuts that have more bite than most of her contemporaries. Endlessly catchy and tough as suede, Lahey’s songs all stand out. Say yes to these tracks: “Congratulations,” “On the Way Down,” “Makes Me Sick,” and the album-closing title cut.