** Will Provost

THE LIVING PROOF

(5 Guys Named Will)

At its best, Will Provost's debut is a kind of folk-noir soundtrack, recounting in hard-boiled, hipsterese ("I guess making me stand around watching while you pick your poison is just one of the tricks you know") night-time scenes on city streets and in pick-up bars. Imagine a whole song cycle narrated by the character from Elvis Costello's "Watching the Detectives" (or, more accurately, by someone who imagines himself to be that guy) -- a character who, it turns out, is a rabid Chet Baker fan -- and you get a handle on Provost's sensibility. When Provost gives the guy melodies, hooks, and a band to work with, as on the Latin-style "My Dream Girl" -- featuring a great spoken-word cameo by Faith Soloway -- and on the Police-like reggae/rock of the title track, with its sinister riff, the formula gets under your skin. But when he provides only solo acoustic guitar or piano for support, as on about half the tracks, the tunes sink under the weight of their verbiage and their lack of identifiable melody.

-- Seth Rogovoy

(Will Provost plays a CD-release party at the Kendall Cafe in Cambridge tonight, December 5, with special guests including Faith Soloway, Magi Baron, and Jerry Gregoire.)