** 1/2 KAOMA “World Beat” <i> Epic</i>

You’ve heard the heavy-breathing “ lambada as sex-substitute” hype. Now what about the music? Will it be pulsating cross-rhythms driving dancers mad, inducing public displays of exotic erotica and orgiastic passion? Well, things are actually a lot more understated than that on “World Beat,” the debut album by the Paris-based septet whose “Lambada” single sparked the hoopla here and was a bona fide European sensation.

Rather than evoking hot ‘n’ sweaty gymnastics, “Lambada” is quietly engaging and brings to mind elegant couples sashaying past sidewalk cafes to an accordion tango melody trailed by a ska/reggae backbeat. The game plan for Kaoma involves a pan-Caribbean rhythm blend driving pleasingly uncluttered arrangements. It’s plenty seductive when the group hits on an irresistible pop melody (“Lambamor”) or an intriguing, hybrid groove (“Sindiang”), but the remaining material veers too close to regulation issue Euro-pop dance music to impress. It’s ironic that a dance embroiled in controversy should be spurred by music whose chief drawback is blandness.