Party Groove: White Party 7
Mixed by Junior Vasquez
We seem to be reviewing this CD just in time since it is quite appropriate with Valentine’s Day this month. Junior Vasquez debuts volume 7 of the White Party series on the Centaur label, and though it may not strike you as such, this album has a lot to do with love!
“I tried to make it edgy, uplifting, anthemic and spiritual. For many years I was criticized for playing pots-and-pans but I’m over that sound. I love great vocals with instrumentation that’s tough-as-nails to underpin the song,” commented Vasquez.
Vasquez quickly points out that on this CD he has incorporated a lot of music that he did not produce himself. Included are productions from Tom Stephan/Supercumbo, Offer Nissim, Rooster & Sammy as well as Junior’s favorite newcomers: Matt Piso and Tim Letteer.
The album seems to take you through the cycle of betrayal, anger, remorse, and forgiveness – I suppose standard drama in any relationship. It starts out with the powerful song, Stupid Like You, a slightly bitter piece that appeals to one’s jealousy. Next is Here I come, an angry in-your-face song with the clever insertion of the words “R-E-V-E-N-G-E, find out what it means to me.” Looks like you can forget about that “little respect”!
The tension rages on until we finally start to feel regret with No More. I really enjoy this piece for the bold instrumentals - they are a lot more prominent than in the previous tracks, and start to hint at how the more complex emotions take over as anger fades.
U Know I Love It! and Free Yourself are fairly heavy groove – mostly rhythm and vocals, so they didn’t appeal to me so much. However, Funk and Shake Yourself Loose start back into some great melody.
Finally we start to forgive, with Love will Find a Way and Stand Up for Love, the latter an exclusive and unreleased mix by Vasquez himself, and probably my favorite on this CD. After all the drama, it’s a relief to hear something so happy and uplifting.
Centaur Music
www.centaurmusic.com
Party Groove: White Party 7 is available in Priape stores across Canada, and online at www.centaurmusic.com, where visitors can listen to samples of every track on the album.
