5

by Robert L. DoerschukNothing 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 predictable minor-key progressions trudge past. Now and then Paco Fernandez's flamenco guitar flares up, sometimes before this somber backdrop, sometimes in unaccompanied flurries, but always nearly drowned in an ocean of reverb. Fashion model Luna Mohamed sings here and there, more often and less convincingly 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.