Luca “Sick of Love” (Funzalo 2006)

Sick of love but not of this music

Nick Luca is one of the solid career men on Americana - he releases stylistically diverse records and has a fantastic network of friends: you’ll find Howe Gelb, M Ward, John Convertino, Jon Rauhouse and Joey Burns cropping up on this record. His last set was a smoky late night jazz tinged journey, but this time we get a more overt pop/rock attack. The opening one-two of ‘Sick of Love’ (a quick jab to the solar plexus) and ‘Melody’ that floats like the proverbial butterfly leaves you wanting more. With all these heavyweight guests it is perhaps ironic that the song where it is just the base trio driven by piano, ‘Love Me Too’ which has the greatest emotional impact.

Howe helps out on a cover of Rainer’s ‘Loosin’ Ground,’ the loose flexible arrangement allowing instruments to leak into each other in that kind of musical stew that Howe excels at. Luca’s immersion in the Tucson scene is evident throughout especially in songs like ‘This Tiny Room’ which contains the same DNA that marks both Calexico and Giant Sand and speaking of which, John Convertino brushes the drums on ‘If Love’ like an overheated horse flicking its tail to dislodge troublesome flies. ‘Maybe Move On, Baby’ with fuzzy guitar and keyboards with rude interjections of acoustic slide guitar and some carefully placed atonal piano from M Ward is a high point as is the closing stately walk that is ‘Evening Blue’.

Date review added:  Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Reviewer:  David Cowling
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  The official website