The 5 best concerts in Philly this weekend, according to our pop music critic

This week’s live music picks spotlight women singers of various genres performing through the region: country-pop in Atlantic City, jazz and blues in Center City, R&B in Fishtown, and a Philly tribute to the Queen of Soul in Ardmore. Plus, mighty drummer Janet Weiss is part of an indie rock duo in Fishtown.

Here are five bonus picks: Hoboken trio Yo La Tengo, who performed in drag in Nashville this week to protest Tennessee’s restrictive new drag law, play Union Transfer on Friday. Blues guitar ace Chris Smither plays the Grand Opera House in Wilmington Saturday; Vermont songwriter King Tuff is at Johnny Brenda’s Wednesday; and Atlanta rapper Future brings Future & Friends to the Wells Fargo Center, while New Orleans brass band Soul Rebels play World Cafe Live, both on Thursday.

Not to wish ill on anyone, but as Tammy Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” could tell you, real-life heartbreak can benefit one’s art, especially in country music. The latest case in point: Kelsea Ballerini’s Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, the six-song EP the Knoxville, Tenn.-born singer released on Valentine’s Day. Released just a few months after her divorce from country singer Morgan Evans, the EP is filled with immediate, clear-eyed compositions like “Just Married” and “Leave Me Again” that are distinct from her glossier pop hits. $69-$151, 8 p.m., 3/17, Etess Arena at Hard Rock Live, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, 1000 Boardwalk, hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com.

Lizz Wright brings a becalmed, regal presence to the mix of blues, jazz and gospel. The Georgia native has been singing in a luxurious alto since her debut album, Salt (2003.) Having worked with the likes of Larry Klein and Joe Henry, Wright was featured in the Hulu series The 1619 Project music episode.Last year, she put out Holding Space, a superb live set recorded in Germany that includes sultry covers of Neil Young and Allen Toussaint. $38-$55, 7:30 p.m., 3/17, City Winery Philadelphia, 990 Filbert St., citywinery.com/philadelphia

Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss aren’t married anymore but continue to have a productive musical relationship. Keyboard player and principal songwriter Coomes — a former Elliot Smith bandmate who was recently in town backing up blues howler Jon Spencer — and Weiss, longtime Sleater-Kinney drummer who’s also played with the Jicks and Wild Flag, have been maintaining Quasi as an ongoing side project for three decades. The new platter of dark-hued garage rock Breaking the Balls of History hits hard as it takes a whimsical view of “the gaping void just around the bend” as it considers the passage of time in “Last Long Laugh.” Bat Fangs opens. $20, 9 p.m., March 17, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com

Neo-soul singer Ari Lennox’s Age / Sex / Location simmers, conjuring an early Erykah Badu vibe from the opening “POF” that Lennox rides throughout as she looks for more than sensual satisfaction on her second full-length album on J. Cole’s Dreamville label. She broke through with the title cut to her 2019 Shea Butter Baby and is headlining the Fillmore this weekend. She’ll be back in town in June on the Roots Picnic bill. $122-$250, 8 p.m., March 18, Fillmore Philadelphia, 29 E. Allen St., thefillmorephilly.com.

This first-class tribute involves many musicians involved in the superb Philly The Last Waltz show at Franklin Music Hall in November. Eleven singers, including Ali Wadsworth, Tangueray Howard, Lainey Green, Imani Roach, and Rosemary Fiki, will pay homage to Aretha Franklin. Deborah and Dorothy Clement, known as The Twins are on back up vocals. A four-man band including Andrew Lipke will serve as the Philly version of The Swampers, the Muscle Shoals studio musicians who backed Franklin in 1967 on “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).”

It’s all a benefit for Derek Dorsey, the long-time Philly music business manager and promoter being treated for a rare neurological illness. $20-$35, 7 p.m., March 19, Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, ardmoremusichall.com.