August 08 2024

Tom MacLear may not be a household name, but he should be. Something of a polymath, a musician, singer-songwriter and painter, he has been quietly cutting a wide swath in the Country Rock and Roots musical communities for nearly half a century. In his earliest days he played and toured with The Flying Burrito Brothers, Vince Gill, The Hot Band, Poco and The Dirt Band. He also produced albums for Dallas Hodge, guitarist/vocalist for Canned Heat and worked with Alto Reed, longtime member of Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band. Performing his own music and writing for other artists has kept Tom’s songs on the Country charts, in one form or another for decades.

Now he has returned with the Gospel-Flavored anthem, “Oh, That Wonderful Love.” Part spiritual call-and-response part secular Soul-shouter, the song is powered by blowsy horns churchy keys, sinewy bass, soaring guitars and an infectious hand-clap
beat. Tom receives some superstar assistance from Broadway sensation Rhett George.
Perspicacious lyrics cut to the chase and cut to the quick: “Ya can’t blame God for religion and Ya can’t blame God for
war, so what Ya gonna do when the truth comes down, was it ‘love’ that ‘we’ ignored?” The answer, is right in front of us: “Ain’t no freedom if you got no love, ain’t no freedom if you got no peace, maybe if we read the good book again, the whole world could be free.” The chorus offers the ultimate panacea: “Oh, that wonderful love, oh that wonderful love.” It’s an aural antidote that is much needed in these divisive days.

Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco.  I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.

I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.

I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver. 

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