"If you don't wanna feel things, music's probably not where you should be."Matthew McNeal makes this observation during this session. It's a nice place to start, because McNeal's music has everything to do with feeling. His voice is expressive and slides between shouts, whispers, and all the side roads in between. Because of this, I feel like I would be able to understand and unpack the emotions in the songs even if he was singing in a language I didn't understand. McNeal's voice is doing something an entire orchestra would be envious of. The most interesting thing about Matthew McNeal is that the soul of his music is markedly different from the vessel it's carried in. Start listening and you'll hear strong blues/rock and folk tendencies, possibly inspired by his being from Texas. But listen closer and you'll hear the guitar work doing something completely different. He has a unique playing style that is more indie rock than folk, and that's why it is so fun to listen to. Since he's the only one playing guitar, he has to do a lot more than just play chords and sing. The guitar is constantly shifting voices and roles, from lead to bass to rhythm and beyond. Put it all together and you get a forward thinking songwriter who intends to keep guitar music alive in the electronic age.