The last time I was in Priape, I was eyeing the poster for this new Centaur Music release and wondering if I’d receive a copy to review. Sure enough, several days later the album arrived in the mail!

For five consecutive years, Don Turner’s Soakin Wet party has been hailed one of New York City’s best outdoor summer parties, attracting sold-out crowds, top notch DJs and chart topping entertainment. David Knapp has returned to create this second volume, after making such a huge splash in 2004 with volume 1. Knap has captured the spirit, energy and vibe of the Soakin Wet party in his new CD, Party Groove: Soakin Wet Volume 2.

The CD starts off with several energetic tracks. In particular, the bass vocals in “Most Precious Love” have a slight goofiness that’s bound to make you smile when you first hear them. Soon afterward comes Chris Cox’s mix of the revamped “Le Freak” by Chic – it blew me away hearing this classic totally reborn.

Beyond that, Knapp starts to incorporate some of his tribal favorites including the red hot “Tabasco” and “The Latin Express.” If you’ve read my music reviews before, you’ll know that Tribal is more likely to give me a headache than a joy rush. I was relieved to see that he soon returned to melodic tracks with vocals, granted that they are a lot darker and more serious.

With a strong final kick to the album, Knapp takes off with Victor Calderone’s mix of “Low Frequencies” and then segues into his own exclusive mix of the Funky Green Dog classic “Reach For Me”. “Accept Me” and “Shout” go neck and neck in the final stretch before Knapp pulls us back into a big hug with his new mix of “Could It Be Magic.”

Centaur Music
www.centaurmusic.com

PartyGroove: Soakin Wet Volume 2 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.