Luca may not be a familiar name, but the guest artists on this album are among some of the more recognizable names in independent alt-country music.  M. Ward, Howe Gelb, and Joey Burns and John Convertino all make contributions to this album.  But despite the impressive guest list Sick of Love never achieves the depth or texture of the works of the contributors.

If anything Sick of Love sounds like something slightly out of its time, an album that looks back to 90’s alternative music more than anything else.  The tracks are slightly nuanced rock numbers for the most part, but even with the work of the impressive artists on the album none of them ever diverges from their predictable paths.  “Melody” stands out as one of the album’s more memorable numbers, using the predictable soft/loud formula of alt-rock, but holding itself up with well done vocals and some interesting instrumentation.  The other standout is a cover of Rainer Ptacek’s “Loosin’ Ground,” which one of the more subdued tracks and benefits from more varied sounds than most of the tracks.  It’s not that the album is poor, it’s simply a dissapointment coming from the cast of musicians arranged here.  Nick Luca’s songs simply aren’t as original or interesting as those of M. Ward, Calexico, or Howe Gelb, but for fans of these artists this album is one to consider listening to–if only for hearing how the guest stars perform outside their regular formats.

5.2/10