Nothing on
5 will surprise those who either love or doze off to the sound of
B-Tribe. Deep, lustrous textures, composed of artfully blended synthetic and sampled sound, hang like heavy drapery as minor-key progressions trudge past. Now and then
Paco Fernandez's flamenco guitar flares up, sometimes before this somber backdrop, sometimes in unaccompanied flurries. Luna Mohamed sings here and there, more often than Susan Caroll, whose restrained ululations add to the sensuality of "Mi Alma Español." Neither performance, however, disturbs the sleek Euro gloom that shrouds, albeit skillfully, these ten tracks of
5. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk