Neil McLaren has embarked upon a strange journey in musical terms. Having been born completely blind, Neil became the first person in the UK to receive pioneering surgery that enabled him to partially see when using special glasses.
If this wasn’t difficult enough, Neil isn’t a trained guitarist. Instead he has preferred to experiment with instruments rather than learn guitar chords—which has created a rather unorthodox playing style. Nevertheless, this has propelled him to produce the kind of acoustic music synonymous with current artists such as Ben Howard and Damien Rice.
McLaren’s vocals are the most intriguing part of his single “Middle Of It All,” with his character shining through like a beacon, taking centre stage aided by choral harmonies. There is a perfect imperfection to his vocals—a gruffness that is eminently appealing—whilst McLaren is able to maintain a link to his hometown of Dundee in Scotland with a twang of Scottish accent seeping through.
“Middle Of It All” is a strong single but it will be interesting to see where McLaren’s sound progresses from here—in order that he doesn’t get lost in a very crowded market of artists who offer a similar experience.
