Track Listing

1. We Are All Made of Stars
2. In This World
3. In My Heart
4. Great Escape (Featuring Azure Ray)
5. Signs of Love
6. One of These Mornings
7. Another Woman
8. Fireworks
9. Extreme Ways
10. Jam For The Ladies (Featuring Angie Stone and MC Lyte)
11. Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)
12. 18
13. Sleep Alone
14. At Least We Tried
15. Harbour (Featuring Sinéad O'Connor)
16. Look Back In
17. The Rafters
18. I'm Not Worried at All

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3776 in Music
• Released on: 2002-05-14
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Following one of the most licensed CDs in history, 18 delivers more of the gospel samples and spiritual exploration that made Play Moby's breakthrough album. But keep your expectations in check. On 18 there is barely a body-rocker in the bunch. This is often a somber, melancholy disc, blanketed in the washed-over cinematic orchestral melodies Moby's been fond of since his classic self-titled debut. It requires several listenings before the gems shine through the ambient fog--and most depart from Play entirely. On the deceptively minimalist opening track, Moby delivers a powerful message through his thin little voice. "We are all made of stars," he sings, and indeed he's believable. MC Lyte punches out an infectious rap over old-school beat-box rhythms on "Jam for the Ladies," offering one of the disc's few roof-raisers. "At Least We Tried" is a tear-jerking swan song of the highest order, and, finally, "The Rafters" resurrects early-‘90s house piano, which will make any of Moby's career-long fans pine for his earliest club hits. The diminutive DJ needn't have produced Play Pt. Two to keep his new fans engaged. Fortunately, his greatest talent for cooking up interesting sounds is still audible; you just need the patience to find it. --Beth Massa

From URB Magazine
Face it, Moby's the one. He's our star, the public face in America for all that is electronic music/culture, the prototypical inspired DIY raver of the early '90s who used determination and unmitigated gall to become a bona fide icon and sell over 10 million copies of his groundbreaking last album, Play. And he did it in inimitable style (remember his cover of Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" on 1996's Animal Rights?), so there's no reason to hate on him for it.

So it's impossible to talk about 18 without serious referencing of its predecessor, an album that slowly and methodically revolutionized what we know as "future music" by primarily sampling rural Americana from the turn of the 20th century and literally selling the results back in a litany of fashions. Moby notoriously (and without apology) licensed every track from Play for use in everything from movies to commercials, a move that spurred the album's meteoric rise.

Such stratospheric success affords one considerable clout, and it shows. Moby takes the opportunity to craft a sprawling, ambitious 18-track effort that's hardly the cash-in it could've been. Still, his mother obviously didn't raise a fool, so he's quick to reference the sounds and ideas that propelled Play into so many music collections. Opening with the uplifting New Wave-y pulse of "We Are All Made of Stars," "In This World" and "In My Heart" pick up where Play left off. Both are rife with swelling soundtrack strings and mournful female voices riding a rhythm reminiscent of something from Side Two of Duran Duran's Seven and the Ragged Tiger. Along with the weepy hip-hop of "Another Woman" and the tear-drenched pianos of "Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)," a good chunk of 18 is a perpetuation of the electronic blues Moby has turned into a signature.

The irony of being born on Sept. 11 is not lost, and the thick, oft-somber mood of 18 can be traced to that infamous date. "Sleep Alone" (which commences what could be considered the album's second half) sounds like Leonard Cohen moaning over a Portishead instrumental, with Moby intoning "At least we were together/holding hands/flying through the sky," the 9/11 reference easily apparent. That's followed closely by "Harbour," where an unaffected electric guitar and stark drum machine beat play host to an amazingly engaging Sinead O'Connor vocal performance. Lounging reflectively like the Blake Babies or even Yo La Tengo gone hi-fi, it's the finest moment 18 has to offer, even with the slightly overwrought chorus.

"Jam for the Ladies" is the one straight-up party tune, with soul sisters Angie Stone and MC Lyte hyping the crowd on this obvious single. Think "Body Rock Pt. II."

Ending on the barn-storming "The Rafters" and an experienced "I'm Not Worried At All," 18 is not Moby's masterpiece, as many might have hoped/feared/expected. But it is an exceptional work that shows definite progression from Play but ultimately falls short of his potential. For an artist, that's the highest compliment I've got.

Scott Sterling

Customer Reviews

Life music
Another great mix of old soul, ambient, and dance music from Moby. It's a great combination. The ambient provides the spiritual tone; the dance provides the energy; and the old soul provides the added depth. And he's the best in the world at it. It works because you can tell he respects each sound he's using, and not just using it to prove he can, or fit a certain popular sound.

Moby must have a great soul. You can feel it in his music. Very spiritual and life driven. And that shines through whether his songs lean more towards rock, pop, dance, or classic soul. Most of the songs on this album are a mix of soulful-dance-and ambient. There's also a few pop, a few ambient, one rock, and a few dance tracks. As an entire record, it works perfectly. And does wonders for your mood.

One of these Mornings
The album is simple and straight forward. Moby's lyrics say a lot in a few words. I like the passion and the sincerity. The music is intense yet soothing.

A decent album
18 was the follow-up to Moby's successful album, Play. Sonically, 18 took Play to "the next level." However, I think the 18 album could have been a bit stronger. Changing the sequencing of the album would have helped it tremendously (the second half of the album has a "sameness" to it, which makes it hard to listen to that part of the album after a while).

For me, 18 is definitely a "mood album"; I have to be in a particular mood in order to listen to it in its entirety. Those fans who enjoy Moby's more upbeat and danceable material probably won't like 18 as much. While this is a decent album, it's definitely not the one I would use to introduce someone to Moby's material (for that purpose, I would use either Everything is Wrong or Play).