Although youth groups nationwide have regularly mistaken Newsboys for an "alternative" band--must be the accents--the band has usually been sneered at by true modern rock fans for their reliance on flash and smoke; their best moments were chalked up to the influence of mentor and producer Steve Taylor. With the bold and refreshing Step Up to the Microphone, Peter Furler and the band seem to have grabbed hold of their artistic destinies. Furler, in fact, steps out from under the shadow of producer Taylor and former lead singer John James (hence the album title's double meaning). Highlights include the loping jangle and deliciously non-ska blurting of horns on "Step Up to the Microphone"; the dramatic tension of the poppish "Entertaining Angels"; the rich, full sound and bittersweet guitars of "Believe"; and the dark, angular "WooHoo."