White Party 2005

A little less than one week to go until Thanksgiving and most of the country is preparing to gorge themselves with turkey and stuffing. Thanksgiving weekend is also time for the 21st White Party in Miami, one of the world's largest HIV/AIDS fundraisers. For those who can't make it out to Miami or who attend and are looking for a musical keepsake, Masterbeat has just released its official White Party 2005 CD, mixed by DJ Brett Henrichsen.

WP 2005 is essentially a good main night set compressed into one CD. For those of you familiar with other Masterbeat releases, the core of Brett's CDs are mainstream club/circuit hits, heavy on the vocals. This year's edition follows that recipe for success and does not disappoint. At the same time, Brett manages to add some flavor that keeps the CD from being generic. Its a difficult line to walk but one that Brett does very well.

WP 2005 opens with a groovy feel with That Feeling (Bring It Back) by The Groove Foundation and Free by E-Volution before settling into more mainstream circuit fare. I haven't had a chance to hear Brett live in a while but this is a nice addition to his repetoire.

The core of the disc includes current favorites by Sissaunda (Shout), Simone Denny (Cliche), Suzanne Palmer (Fascinated), and Sarah Atereth (Lose My Mind) -- all very good tracks you're likely to hear out on the dance floor any given weekend. A couple of tracks by Offer Nissim, First Time and his remix of Fascinated, give you a little darker, more tribal feel for those who dig that kind of thing.

WP 2005 closes with a cover of Journey's Don't Stop Believin', which is a strange marriage of 80s power ballad and Chris Cox's mix of Debbie Holliday's Dive. A strange marriage, indeed, but one that seems to work, once you stop trying to remember where you remember the song from... (What? Is that JOURNEY?!)

All in all, whether you're cutting out carbs for the White Party or preparing for post-Thanksgiving food coma, Masterbeat's White Party 2005 is a great way to spend your holiday.