If there’s a guy who deserves a bit more love and glory, it’s Dave Kuchler. As a member of the Soul Engines he played a major part in crafting the power pop perfect sound of their 2001 release Closer Still, taking lead vocal on the should-have-been hit “Just Another Day.” Then in 2020 he returned with a dynamite solo album entitled It’s Pronounced … that splashed jangle guitar and heavy doses of Hammond B3 organ over a solid collection to tunes. The record ranked #11 on our Poprock Record’s 25 must-have LPs for 2020 list while the single “Slave to Katy” clocked in at #3 out of the 50 Poprock Record should-be hit singles of 2020. In our review we declared It’s Pronounced … “… has the sound of a timeless classic, a paean to poprock songcraft and performance. It deserves a wide hearing.” But the likes of Rolling Stone and Billboard fail to heed our good advice.

Now Kuchler is back with Love + Glory and it’s another dynamite package of New Jersey’s special brand of janglicious, Americana-infused rock and roll. From the killer lick introducing opening cut “In It With You” you know you’re in for some no nonsense melodic rock along the lines of Fastball, Don Dixon, John Hiatt and Marshall Crenshaw. Developed from an unreleased Soul Engines song, the track has a distinctive lead guitar hook that keeps coming back in between Kuchler’s strong vocals. Then “Labor of Love” shows how Kuchler’s talent for seeding a melodic hook right from the start of a tune is no fluke. Stylistically Love + Glory has a more consistent sound than It’s Pronounced …, meeting at the crossroads of Americana and Merseybeat. Basically less Springsteen, more Rockpile this time around. “She’d Rather Be With You” is very Mersey, updated with a bit of Nick Lowe cheekiness. “All I Need” takes its jaunty electric guitar into Beatles-country-meets-early-Eagles territory. But with “Fine Wine” and “Slow Day” you can practically hear a John Hiatt growl coming in somewhere, the latter also reminiscent of Lowe’s Rose of England material. As with Hiatt, the organ work on these tunes adds a transcendent quality. Other songs showcase different variations of the Americana theme. There’s a sweet organ and mandolin charm to “This Old Car,” a Chuck Berry-fueled romp through “Lover’s Talk,” and storytelling about Maggie May before she met Rod on “Prequel (Maggie).” The record ends with a bit of blistering heartland jangle on “Chasing Glory,” a return to a more Jersey Springsteen aura.

They just don’t make records like Love + Glory anymore. Unless you’re Dave Kuchler. You can show him a bit of love at his bandcamp site, Kool Kat Musik record distribution page, or FB locale.