Suave Suave

Suave Suave shows great progression from b-tribe's first album, Fiesta Fatal. While the panflutes, and Spanish voice & guitars still exist, the album has taken on a more subdue atmospheric feel, shown through greater use of electronic melodies, electronic samples and the use of slow seductive beats. Gone is the repetitve use of samples and melody, bad mixing, and inclusion of a number of fast, dance-paced tracks that Fiesta Fatal had. Instead is an album which wants you to sit down and relax as you are taken on a ride offering a unique sense of sound.

Suave Suave features the voice of a relatively unknown singer called Deborah Blando. She sings on the first single, Nanita, one version which is sung in English and another in Spanish, and many other tracks. Something that is distinctive about this album is that some of the tracks are designed as vocal songs, complete with versus and choruses. There is also a track which is a poem reading accompanied by background music. Lots of natural sounds such as wind and birds also appear in various tracks.

As with Fiesta Fatal, Suave Suave shows the familar b-tribe trait of 'borrowing' samples from other artists without any reference to them. The first track, Suave Suave, has the introduction to Shine on You Crazy Diamond from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album, while the interlude and Poesia use bars from a famous piano piece by a classical composer. The panflute sample that Enigma is known for also makes various appareances. As with the first album, b-tribe have produced and performed all tracks, and written & arranged most of them. They also used Frank Gargiulo for the art direction and design again.

Overall, Suave Suave is clarification that b-tribe are musically more original and experienced than on their first album. While some of the tracks are upbeat (notably the first half of Yo Quiero Todo which sounds like it came from the Fiesta Fatal days), the album clearly does not try to convey the energy and dance orientation that Fiesta Fatal tried to. Instead it is a good album to sit down and relax to, confident that you'll be taken on a journey with a distinctive sound and feel.

Track Listing

1. Suave Suave (5:18)
2. Que Mala Vida (3:56)
3. Sensual (6:24)
4. Ahoy (5:19)
5. Hablando (7:05)
6. interlude (1:09)
7. Albatross (7:33)
8. Te Siento (4:07)
9. Nanita [A Spanish Lullaby] (4:37)
10. Poesia (2:43)
11. Yo Quiero Todo (7:05)
12. Nanita [En Espanol] (4:11)

All tracks produced, performed, written & arranged by B-Tribe featuring Deborah Blando.