Moby - 18
2002/ 1:13:23 Minutes / 18 Tracks / Studio
Release Date: May 14, 2002 - V2
Produced by: Moby
Website: www.mobyonline.com

Reviewed by Matt Rowe on June 2, 2002

Moby has twisted me in several directions. I admit to not even having the faintest idea about Moby's existence until I heard "Natural Blues" as the ending track on a little known film, "Shadow Hours." After hearing that song, I just had to have the rest of this guy's material. And "Play" did not disappoint me. It was great, what else can be said about it?!

It goes without saying that I held high expectations for "18." Months before its impending release, I was anxious, awaiting Moby's newest masterpiece. It has to be great, phenomenal, listening material...enough to sustain me to the next Moby masterpiece. And I was there at Best Buy on 'Release Day Tuesday' picking up my copy. I put it into my car CD player...song one, the familiar "We Are All Made of Stars." This already familiar Bowie - esque tune was good. Then ...Crash!!

No, I didn't wreck my vehicle. But, somewhere in that journey, between Best Buy and my house, between track one and track eighteen, between musical emanation and ear/brain/heart/soul reception...my anticipation crashed. Did I get "18"? Might this be a companion disc to "Play"? Something is wrong here.

Those were my initial reactions to the CD after first listen. Now, for myself, I immediately know the difference between great music and good music. Great music invades your brain right NOW. It ropes your heart, flits in and out through your spirit. You KNOW that you are in possession of something amazingly special.

Now good is something else. It may take several listens to appreciate a song. None of this means that the songs are bad, on this CD or any others, if you apply this principle to everything. But it does mean that the music coming out of the speakers doesn't immediately impress you...it's forced to grow on you.

So it is with Moby's "18". Now, again, I make the assertion that this is NOT a bad record. What it is is a bad followup. What should have been evolutionary is reiterative. What should be better is more of the same. And therein lies my complaint. Moby could have, and should have, done better than what he has presented to us. To show us that his evolution from dance music, to covers, to a bona fide detour into hybrid technoblues was not a fluke. What we got were outtakes from "Play".

Now, let me get into what is good about the record and away from my disappointments and my itty bitty essay on why Moby has not progressed with this release. The songs are entertaining. Plenty of straight out heart rending blues songs. "In This World", "In My Heart", "One of These Mornings", and "Another Woman". There are more on this CD, to be sure. The CD is fairly bursting with these bluesy songs. However, it's not all the rage in this crackerjack box. There is "Jam for The Ladies", a tune that is this CD's 'BodyRock'. There is OK representation of other styles on this CD that is otherwise fairly dominated by the blues.

I actually love a few pieces on this release. "Extreme Ways", a funky and Bowie-like (again), jam that is faulted by its seemingly short length. "Signs of Love" has found its way onto my MP3 player cuz it such a great little piece that incorporates style after style to form a nifty little creation such as Moby creates. I enjoy "We Are All Made of Stars". The blues songs on this CD are good. In fact they would have been ultra cool if they appeared on "Play" but here sound like things I've heard before.

A word about the booklet is now necessary. After "Play" and its jivin' cover shot we get "18" and it's geeky Mars and it's voyager nerd "hey, we can breathe up here" overly blue photo. More ruinous is the 5 page essay in eyeball straining font and point size of Moby's fears and hopes. I'm always a fan of provided lyrics and other cool notations so Moby failed at this too.

Which leaves me to say to Moby and is actually several lines lifted from "One of These Mornings"..."One of these mornings, won't be very long. You will look for me, I'll be gone". For now, I'll stick with "Play".

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