THE standard of songs entered so far in the competition has been exceptionally high and this week s featured entry encapsulates exactly what the competition s about. Singer and songwriter Mark Wilks explained that he intended to record a more polished ve

THE standard of songs entered so far in the competition has been exceptionally high and this week's featured entry encapsulates exactly what the competition's about.

Singer and songwriter Mark Wilks explained that he intended to record a "more polished version" of his song When We Were Young in the coming months, but listening to this version it's difficult to see how it can be bettered.

This sparse acoustic track certainly owes a huge debt to some of Oasis' best B-sides: Half A World Away and Masterplan. It opens up a can of heartfelt, brotherly nostalgia and is delivered with a perfect lonesome drawl.

My words really can't do it justice, which is why we are making this and other entries to the competition available as free downloads from the Almost Famous page of The Hunts Post website. Mark, who lives in St Neots, told me: "In the past, I've always been the frontman in a band and never found the right music with different bands to match what's in my head."

Take a listen to this fantastic song and you'll realise that he's finally found his niche in the rock world. Find more songs from Mark at: www.myspace.com/markwilks

CHRIS BOLAND