Reviewed by Carl Grimsditch

With a back catalogue stretching to 1987 and a number of line-up changes Newsboys had a lot of experience to draw on with these records. The two albums on this value-for-money package stem from 1998 and 1999. 'Step Up To The Microphone' begins with three musically and lyrically strong songs to get you in the mood; the title track with its indiesque verse is a fun, bouncy song with a commanding horn part. "Entertaining Angels" is an honest plea to be taken back, sporting an introduction reminiscent of Oasis or The Verve with its orchestral arrangement and a mid-eight to drool over, a truly awesome song. You can't help but feel the band had a heavy influence from the Brit pop scene whilst recording. The high point in this album has to be "Truth Be Known-Everybody Gets A Shot" with its attention grabbing yet very simple introduction and intelligent lyrics. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is not of the same calibre, the tracks are simply overshadowed by these four songs, they're simply not as catchy. In contrast 'Love Liberty Disco' is much more laid back, rich in orchestral accompaniment throughout, giving tracks like "Beautiful Sound" and "Forever Man" extra depth and texture. This is a big step away from their previous album. The band have definitely dipped into several genres when producing this album and they have used them all very well, a testament to their musicianship and writing ability. The title track has a Jamiroquai feel about it with verses full of string licks and a funky bass line followed by an upbeat chorus of layered vocals. There are no songs in the same league as the best on 'Step Up To The Microphone', though the material here is more consistent and overall this is probably a better album for that reason.

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