Cleo's the one in the middle of the road (5)

I believe the answer is:

laine

'cleo's' is the definition.
(English singer Cleo Laine)

'one in the middle of the road' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'in the middle of' is an insertion indicator.
'the road' becomes 'lane' (a lane is a narrow road).
'i' going within 'lane' is 'LAINE'.

'the' is the link.

(Another definition for laine that I've seen is " Dame Cleo --, jazz musician".)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app