18 -- Boring title, but not a boring album

I've always been a fan of Moby, but I became a more enthusiastic one after Play. That said, I prefer to let this album be judged on its own merit rather than comparing it to Moby's earlier work.

In a way, Moby has become a victim of his own success. The widespread acclaim for Play certainly raised expectations for this album. It also doesn't help that the pop music climate is less favourable to 'techno' music than it was 3 years ago. Even Eminem is taking shots at Moby, alongside Chris Kirkpatrick of 'NSYNC (an assault which will no doubt seem ironic in about 2 years time).

Like all of his other albums, Moby's 18 combines distinct tracks with a particular emphasis. Although we get to hear of Moby's own vocals on this album than on Play, the main theme appears to be moody and lyrical passages. In this regard, certain tracks seem to stand out, such as "In This World", "In My Heart" and "Signs of Love", to name a few.

One of the drawbacks to this album (aside from the uncreative title) for the casual fan is the lack of single material. "We Are All Made Of Stars" is a worthy entry, but apart from it the album is devoid of standalone pop-music fare. However, most hardcore fans would probably see this as a positive, rather than negative, attribute of the album, given the current shallow tastes in popular music.

If nothing else, 18 provides proof of Moby's genius in generating a beautiful musical aesthetic. Exhibit A is the 2nd track of the album, "In This World". The stirring symphonic strains of the strings (How's that for alliteration?) seem destined for background to a poignant scene in a movie. If that's not enough, the track flows brilliantly into "In My Heart", another beautiful, if less soulful composition.

I hope this review has not given any reader the impression that the album is lacking in variety. "Fireworks" is a subtle, instrumental track which has its moments, while "Jam For The Ladies" is an interesting hip-hop number. Equally notable is the ensemble cast of vocalists. Moby sings on a number of the tracks, but also featured are Jennifer Prince, The Shining Light Gospel Choir, Azure Ray, Diane McCaulley, Angie Stone and MC Lyte, Freedom Bremmer, Shauna and Lorraine Phillips and Sinead O'Connor.

In all likelihood, the casual listener would have a harder time getting in to this album as is the case with Play. However, for the Moby fan, 18 is a must-listen, and I would rank it highly within the body of his work.