*** Dave Alvin, “Public Domain,” HighTone.

Listening to these old folk songs lovingly brought to life, you can almost see Alvin flipping through his dusty record collection, pulling out certain items and working out his arrangements late into the night. Yet his affection for the material--15 public-domain tunes with mysterious origins and elaborate histories--keeps away any museum-like chill.

Backed by a slew of talented roots aficionados, including his touring band the Guilty Men, Alvin sings in the deep, commanding voice of a journeyman taleteller, putting his own twist on such numbers as “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” a traditional bluegrass tune reworked as electric blues. The album (in stores Tuesday) has a pervasive direness that’s enhanced by lots of haunting slide guitar and offset by pretty strings and jaunty beats, as well as such tracks as the barroom-strut take on “Walk Right In” and the spiritual “Sign of Judgment.” Still, the shady characters (“Railroad Bill”), horrible incidents (“Engine 143”) and heartbroken reveries (“Dark Eyes”) demonstrate that human afflictions are never far from the minds of pop artists, whatever the era. True, the multiple slayings in “Murder of the Lawson Family” don’t quite match, say, the hate-fueled blood bath that is Eminem’s “Kim,” but the fascination is the same.

** 1/2 Shaggy, “Hot Shot,” MCA.

Mister “Boombastic” whips dub, ska, funk, disco, soul, hip-hop, reggae and pop into a danceable blend as smooth as the persistent singsong come-ons in most of these 14 tunes (in stores Tuesday). If his lighthearted sexual braggadocio becomes tiresome (with the possible exception of the relatively thoughtful “Hope”), Shaggy’s inventive way with the groove makes this a fine backdrop for fleeting summertime thrills. --N.N.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.