Occasionally on the STC Online message board, you come across people with real musical talent, who post a fabulous remix or home-brewed masterpiece that you just can't stop listening to. Jake McAllister has constructed an entire album of gems (not to mention a video and put forward two designs for the album cover), with 'Welcome Home'.

It's certainly a case of 'man and his best friend on this album, as Jake shows us what he's made of using nothing more than his acoustic guitar and his own vocals. Attempting to convey the feeling some bands give him when he listens to their music, Jake draws inspiration from the likes of R.E.M. and The Who to provide a focused batch of songs. Detail of the album continues below:

Another Role of the Dice

Despite an apparant change of title since it was originally released to the world, Another Role of the Dice still retains some of the higher-quality guitar playing in the album. Beginning the album, the track gives you an immediate sense of 'Nirvana' that screams out at you, but fortunately, doesn't overwhelm you. Some clever song-writing shines through here too, making this a top start to 'Welcome Home'. 8/10

The Untitled Song

Things get even better by this song. Expanding to almost 5 minutes, we're treated to many variations of tempo and coarseness of the guitar, with a sharp riff in the middle catching the ear more than anywhere else. By the end of the song, Jake's singing really begins to develop and there's more tone than was evident in 'Another Role...'. 9/10 (Arch's Pick)

Writers Block

Lighter guitar blesses the start of this track, but the lyrics seem a little clichéd somehow. Little variation throughout the song also brings this song a notch or two. 5/10

Welcome Home

The finest chorus on the album. Not very varied, but the vocals and the guitar are in perfect melody and you can't help but sing along. The rest seems to pale in comparison, unfortunately. 7/10

Sometimes

A pretty basic song, this one, with not a lot of raw talent evident. A few tricks of the trade, such as pausing the guitar to enhance your vocals, are used. Fortunately, the adjustments of the voice heard as Jake rings out the word 'sometimes' makes it a joy to listen to. 7/10

Freezing In The Corner

The upbeat sound of the guitar and vocals keeps you a false impression when you first hear this song. Listening further, you continue to hear the melancholy lyrics to go with the title, but the lighter music to support makes this excellent listening. At 3:54 in length, this one feels like a real song, with a distinct beginning, ending and guitar solo to boost. One of the picks of the album. 8.5/10

Behind Blue Eyes

Covering this 'Who' classic was always going to be tough (as Limp Bizkit discovered) but Jake seems to have pulled this off. Such a lyricly great song wins it respect straight off and Jake's talent enhances it. At times, there appears to be timing errors, where Jake is too eager to continue singing and misses the key, but it sounds beautiful all the same. 8/10

Wasting Time

Somehow, this song feels the most heartfelt and emotional, with Jake pushing his vocals more than anywhre else on the album. Guitar is quite similar to early songs on the album, but with added quirks in each section of the song, it makes it listenable and not repetitive. 8/10

Meeting Her There

Being the end of the album, you might expect some huge finalé with a blazing strings section and an orchestra carrying on in the background. However, Jake sticks to his humble style and doesn't suffer for it. The guitars come back to triumph in this final track, with the jerky manner making this sound more cheery than it actually is. 6.5/10

You probably have to be able to tolerate slow, heartfelt music to appreciate 'Welcome Home', as Jake rarely deviates from this mould. However, the keen listener will always find at least 2 songs they strongly like in this album and find many other quirks throughout the rest of the selection. 'Welcome Home' strongly encourages a second album, immediately