Moby 18 label: v2 released: 05.14.02 our score: 4.5 out of 5.0 buy it: here

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If there really are aliens on distant planets analyzing the sound-bites we send floating away, their studies over the last three Earth years will be dominated by one man's work. The bald king of the populist anthem, Moby has been at the heart of western pop-culture ever since 1999's Play was such a phenomenal success. And now he has donned a space suit and a mischievous grin for the follow-up with a seemingly impossible mission: to stand on CD racks across the country under the enormous shadow cast by Play.

It's difficult to point to a more influential and well-used album in recent years, with Play selling over ten million albums, three million singles and every one of its 18 tracks being used at least once for the plethora of TV ads and Hollywood films that fed off its brilliance. For his latest project, 36-year-old Moby has reverted to the time-tested attitude "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" because 18 picks up exactly where Play left off and is an ideal sister album for an undoubted classic.

The premise for 18 is unchanged, with the core of the album revolving around a well-chosen selection of sampled lyrics that have been transformed into tomorrow's club favourites and new car ads thanks to Moby's techno wizardry. These peaceful re-workings were the best feature that Play had to offer ("Find My Baby," "Run On," "Honey," "Natural Blues") and there seems to be a greater emphasis on them here, as well as an avoidance of the heavier "Bodyrock" and instrumentals like "Guitar Flute & String" and "My Weakness."

The result is a collection of 18 tracks with a wide vocal range, including one unknown duo from Georgia who hopefully submitted their work to Moby and the weaker tracks that Moby himself sings on.

But the strongest points that made Play so good are the same elements that stand out on 18, and I'm talking of the instantly memorable soothing chords set to the old, gospel and blues samples. "Run On" and "Natural Blues" paved the way for the relaxing finale "I'm Not Worried At All" and the hyper-hum of "The Rafters," which is going to make a big impact at some stage.

But as great though these are, better is found in "In This World" and "In My Heart," both of which are straight from the Play textbook. If Play had been a double album there are no tracks on 18 that would have looked out of place. This is good news for fans of Moby and the modern easy-listening he represents. And for those aliens it means another three years of Moby-driven pop-culture on planet Earth.
07-May-2002 3:30 PM

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If you liked 18...

• Moby - Play (the DVD)
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